


Hyunjin and the Quest to Find the Missing Frog

by hereforfood



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: But the best kind, F/F, Gen, a lot of it, also shes super whipped for heejin, and they need help, heejin is a princess, hyunjin is a bounty hunter, hyunjin is just along for the ride, i guess, nayeon's in it for a second, oh and 2jin slowburn, she's sort of important to the plot, so is eunbi, the other members pop up later, there is no such thing as straight people here, they lost a frog, yerim and yeojin are troublemakers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24118429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforfood/pseuds/hereforfood
Summary: Hyunjin, a bounty hunter, is pulled into a quest by Yerim and Yeojin. The quest?: They really need to find their missing frog. Oh, and Heejin's along for the ride too.Or:Hyunjin and Heejin are gay for each other, Yerim and Yeojin are annoying troublemakers and the rest of the crew pops up every now and then.
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu, Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin, Jo Haseul/Viian Wong | ViVi, Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Park Chaewon | Go Won/Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye
Comments: 52
Kudos: 178





	1. The Idiots

**Author's Note:**

> I love 2jin. That's all I have to say.

Summer in the Jeon Kingdom was a sticky kind of hot, even in the evenings when the sun was a lukewarm orange, cast out of the sky by soft pinks and purples along the horizon. Hyunjin pulled the silver clasp that held the black cloak at her shoulders and shuffled out of the garment, shoving it into the battered leather messenger bag that hung from her shoulder. She could feel sweat pooling along her body. Unpleasant doesn’t even cover it.

She let out a relieved sigh when she came upon the familiar tavern, pushing the heavy wooden doors open. The air was only somewhat cooler inside, despite the warm bodies that crowded at tables and along the bar. Hyunjin winced at a particularly loud patron who’d won at some card game, slamming her fist against the table in victory. The glasses and mugs that were scattered about the wood shook, some with amber liquid sloshing around their lips, falling to the sticky floor.

It reminded her why she avoided places like this in the first place. She was really only here for one reason anyway.

Her eyes met the familiar board along the wall next to the bartop. On the board were several flyers, pinned haphazardly, some stacked atop others. She read through them, eyes flitting quickly across familiar words— _Cat lost— REWARD, Missing Person— REWARD, Kill this Bastard (with a crudely drawn rendition of said person, who also looked a bit like someone Hyunjin knew, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it)— REWARD._ The usuals then. It’d been a good second since she’d gotten a well-paying job, she supposed it was what she signed up for though.

“Nothing really interesting, huh?” Hyunjin was struck still by the familiar voice near her ear. Panic flared in her chest, which was quickly replaced by anger and annoyance. She turned to Heejin with wide eyes— Heejin, who casually looked at the board with flyers tacked on it, Heejin who thought a stupid flimsy cloak and hood was a good enough disguise. Hyunjin’s eyes went to the patrons in the tavern. The rowdy group still played their card game, the same men still sat at the bartop, the bartender looked just about as lacking in enthusiasm as they had been when Hyunjin had come in.

Hyunjin turned back to Heejin, grabbing her arm, roughly pulling her out of the tavern. She ignored the confused questioning— _“Hey, what’s up? Where are we going?”_

Hyunjin planted them in the alley to the side of the building, regarding the woman. Heejin only tilted her head in silence, waiting for Hyunjin. Hyunjin pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You…” Hyunjin sighed. “You’re an idiot,” Heejin gave her a cheeky smile.

“I was waiting for one of your compliments to come my way,” Hyunjin grit her teeth.

“What’re you thinking! Going into—” Hyunjin pointed helplessly at the tavern. “They’re all bounty hunters! They can kill you in a second!”

“I mean, you’re here, so...” She trailed off. Hyunjin sighed again. They’d gone over this. Hyunjin wasn’t sure how many times they’d gone over this. Heejin was a stubborn woman. Hyunjin would know first hand. If Hyunjin squinted hard enough, she could still see Heejin’s cheeks covered in soot, and that hard, determined look in her eyes.

“ _That_ was different,” Hyunjin muttered. She opened her bag, shuffling through its contents. She finally pulled out a bandana, a soft, washed-out yellow color.

“That’s not what I—”

“Here,” Without waiting for a response, she took the cloth and placed it over Heejin’s mouth and nose. With all the movement, Heejin’s hood fell, revealing her soft, brown hair, tied in a bun. Hyunjin tied a quick knot in the material, taking care to avoid pulling any hair. Hyunjin stepped away.

“How many times have I told you to cover your face? You never listen to me,” She sighed. Heejin’s fingers fluttered against the material that now covered her face.

“This is what I mean,” She said, a near whisper. Hyunjin shook her head, not wanting to question the ambiguity of the statement.

She walked away from the alleyway, aimlessly going down cobblestoned streets. She could hear Heejin’s steps following her closely. She supposed she couldn’t do anything about it, it’s not like this hasn’t been happening for some time now. Hyunjin just stopped fighting it, she supposed.

“Want some?” Heejin offered Hyunjin a familiar sight, a bundle of cloth in her hands.

“What? Do you expect me to just drop everything over bread?” She imagined Heejin’s bright smile. Her lips crooked, teeth shining white, tongue just barely poking out. Hyunjin could almost see it all under the cloth.

“Yes?” Hyunjin rolled her eyes. She regrets Heejin ever discovering one of her greatest loves in life. Bread. And unfortunately, the Jeon’s personal baker made the best bread Hyunjin had ever had in her short life.

“Hand it over,” Hyunjin gave in, snatching at the cloth. Peeling it back revealed fresh bread, still warm to the touch. Hyunjin groaned, ripping a piece off and popping it into her mouth.

“Am I forgiven?”

“Nope,” Heejin’s pout shows through her eyes.

They continued their trek, a familiar route, stopping to greet and feed the stray cats. The cats all knew Hyunjin by now, already waiting patiently on stoops and short brick walls that lined the walkways.

“Hello,” Hyunjin softly greeted a grey cat. He headbutt her hand, pulling it along the line of his body, purring warmly like a greeting. Heejin giggled behind her.

“They’re so cute,” Her voice was quiet, reverent, as they participated in the activity. Hyunjin pulled out a bag of scraps and set portions of the meat on the ground, watching as the cats ate with fervor.

Hyunjin caught Heejin’s gaze from her peripheral. She turned to the princess with a question in her eyes. Heejin bit her lip, shaking her head.

Hyunjin was about to speak when she heard two sets of footsteps storming their way. Hyunjin’s hand went to the heavy sword that hung at her hip, an action that was well practiced, immediately stopping at the sight of purple hair nearly crashing into her.

“Oh, thank god! We found you!” Yerim spoke, grabbing at Hyunjin’s sleeve.

“Not that it was hard, you’re boring Hyunjin,” Hyunjin quirked a brow at Yeojin, who stood not far behind Yerim, hands on her hips.

“Do you need anything? Or did you just come around to insult me?” Yeojin’s eyes shot to Heejin, and Hyunjin felt panic grow in her chest at the girl’s curious gaze. Then Yeojin said something that sent a different kind of panic through Hyunjin,

“Are you on a date?” Hyunjin grew red at the implication.

“ _Yeojin_ ,” Hyunjin hissed threateningly. She could hear Heejin’s distinct giggling behind her before a warm pair of hands wound themselves around her right arm. Hyunjin cleared her throat, refocusing on the duo. “Why are you two bothering me? What do you want?”

“We need your help.” Yerim spoke this time.

“I’m pretty expensive.”

“Aren’t they your friends?” Heejin questioned with a whisper.

“More like little leeches,” This only made the duo grin innocently.

“We really do need your help though! We went to the most capable person we know,” Yeojin sent her a pleading look.

“Bullshit,” Hyunjin regarded them, sighing. “But fine, what’s the job?”

“We lost our frog,” Hyunjin let out a loud groan and made a quick one-eighty, pulling Heejin with her.

“Wait, no, no, no! Hyunjin, it’s an important frog!” Yeojin yelled after her. She could hear their footsteps trailing behind her.

“You really think you can rope me into finding your _pet frog_ !? _And_ you’re not gonna pay me? No way!” Hyunjin yelled. Yerim jumped in front of Hyunjin before she could go any further.

“It’s not the frog, it’s what’s in the frog!” Hyunjin stopped.

“If you say ‘love’, I swear—”

“I made it swallow a gemstone…” Yeojin revealed. Yerim shoved at her.

“Tell her what kind of gemstone,” Her voice was accusing.

“An...enchanted gemstone?”

“Like a witch put a spell on it?” Heejin questioned. Hyunjin shoved an elbow at her, she really didn’t need Heejin to get pulled into this mess.

Yerim’s voice turned conspiratorial as she leaned in. “A gemstone that makes the possessor lucky. Like... _fantastically_ lucky,”

“I guess that’s one lucky frog then,” Heejin spoke, making Yeojin chuckle. Yerim shoved at Yeojin again.

“It’s not funny!”

“Why did you make the frog swallow the gem in the first place? And _how_ , pray tell, did you get it?” Hyunjin asked, eyes narrowed into slits.

“Uh, I thought no one would be able to find it. Who looks in a frog? And we…” Yeojin glanced at Heejin, eyes sliding back to Hyunjin, “Stole it?”

“Nice,” Hyunjin sighed.

“Not only did she make the frog swallow it, she made it teleport somewhere! And now we don’t know where it is!” Yerim yelled, hands flailing in an annoyed manner.

“I didn’t _make it_ teleport somewhere! You’re skewing things!”

“You poured the potion over it!”

“I thought it was the protection potion!”

“It literally said ‘Teleportation’ on it! Also, how in the hell do you not know the difference!? You _made_ the potions!” Yeojin chuckled guiltily.

“You guys are literal idiots,” Hyunjin pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Is that a yes?” Yeojin ventured.

“I’ll help you!” Hyunjin turned to Heejin, incredulity dripping in her gaze.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hyunjin’s words spilled frantically over each other. “Uhm, no. I mean...no, you _can’t_ , and you _won’t_ ,” Hyunjin hissed through gritted teeth. Heejin quirked a brow, as if asking Hyunjin if she knew who she was talking to, which, yeah, sure, she had a point. After all, Hyunjin couldn’t get Heejin to stop sneaking out of the castle at night. Who was she to think that she could stop Heejin from going on this stupid journey, as per dumb and dumber’s request?

Hyunjin only had one word for Heejin. “Why?!”

“They’re convincing. Plus, it sounds fun, doesn’t it? And you need a job! You’ve been staring at that board for days now,” Heejin exclaimed. Hyunjin was sure that stupid, bright grin was behind that yellow cloth. Hyunjin could only sigh.

She could use the job. On the other hand, she wasn’t even getting paid. On the other, other hand, she’d probably be able to convince Yerim to split some of the money coming in from that gemstone (she had no doubts that it was for a job they’d taken).

“See? Your girlfriend wants to come!” Yeojin gestured to Heejin.

“Hyunjin?” Yerim was sending her an exaggerated pout. And maybe it was that that finally broke her down, or maybe it was the fact Heejin agreed to come along, or maybe it was Heejin’s invisible grin behind that flimsy piece of cloth, her hands still warmly wound around her arm.

“Fine.” Hyunjin grumbled. She might as well come along. She didn’t save Heejin’s ass from a dragon for her to die over a stupid frog.

“Hey, who are you anyway?” Yeojin stared at Heejin quizzically. Hyunjin blocked her view before any of those rusty unoiled gears in her head could start moving.

“None of your business,” Hyunjin spoke gruffly.

“I was asking _her_ , I’m sure your girlfriend can speak for herself, Hyunjin,” Hyunjin rolled her eyes. A hand landed on her shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Heejin’s voice was calm. Hyunjin couldn’t even begin to tell her how this wasn’t fine. That if Yeojin, the loudmouth, knew that Heejin was, well, Heejin, Hyunjin didn’t even want to imagine what was gonna happen. But instead, she sighed in defeat, watching Heejin pull that cloth from her face, revealing delicate features. “I’m Heejin,” Heejin held her hand out politely.

Hyunjin watched, anxiety flaring as the two idiots put the pieces together, mouths wide open— Yerim, the brighter of the two, glanced at her face for a long second, then fell to her attire. Hyunjin supposed it was telling, the dark clothes that she wore, the way she hid her face.

“Oh,” Yerim cleared her throat.

“WAIT A SECOND—” Yeojin followed not far behind, Hyunjin was about ready to suplex her when Yerim slapped a hand against her mouth.

“Yeojin, please, not the best time,” She spoke quietly. Yeojin nodded, still staring at the princess. Heejin just giggled at the two.

“It’s nice to _finally_ meet you,” Yerim’s smile was impish as she finally took Heejin’s offered hand. Yeojin followed the action, muttering a greeting and, it seemed, trying to not smile as wide as she was already smiling. Hyunjin clocked the mischievous glint that they held in their eyes.

“Stop,” She spit out accusingly at the two. Hyunjin did her best to avoid Heejin’s curious gaze, for fear that the warmth on her neck would rise.

“I didn’t do anything!” Yeojin yelled.

“I know you, and you were about to say something stupid, so _stop_ ,” Yeojin crossed her arms with a huff. “You too!” Hyunjin pointed to Yerim.

Yerim cleared her throat. “So, maybe we should come up with a plan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be shy to leave a comment! I love having any kind of feedback!
> 
> Also, I'm gonna try to update this weekly!


	2. Jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a lot of arguing (mostly on Hyunjin and Yeojin’s behalf), there was one pressing matter that they’d all come to agree on: How in the hell were they going to get the princess out of the castle?

After a lot of arguing (mostly on Hyunjin and Yeojin’s behalf), there was one pressing matter that they’d all come to agree on: How in the hell were they going to get the princess out of the castle?

It wasn’t like Heejin had a hard time sneaking out on her own, but that was during the dead of night and only for a few hours at most. Not to mention that she was always still within the kingdom walls. This was different. This time around they had to figure out a way to sneak Heejin out indefinitely. They’d break her out the next day and Heejin had— stupidly, in Hyunjin’s opinion— left them to iron out the details, giving them the necessary information about how to sneak into the castle (based upon her own experiences of sneaking out of course).

Yeojin was the one to flesh out the plan.

“No,” Hyunjin spoke. She’d just been jostled awake by the duo’s surprisingly heavy bodies jumping atop her. And, understandably, she wasn’t in the mood for Yeojin’s less than thought out idea.

“You got any better ideas?” Yeojin crossed her arms, pouting.

“I need food,” Hyunjin pushed both of them off of her bed, shuffling to her small kitchen.

“I really think it’ll work,” It was Yerim this time. Hyunjin sighed, taking a bite of the bread Heejin had brought her last night. Unfortunately, the beautifully baked loaf wasn’t enough to lift her mood. The two annoyances still stood in her kitchen.

“Where’re you gonna find an actress? And how do you expect to make them look like Heejin?”

“I’m resourceful,” Yeojin rubbed her hands together in a sketchy manner. Hyunjin quirked a brow.

“We know an actress that works locally around here, and as far as the aesthetic side of it, Yeojin’s got it handled,” Yerim spoke confidently.

“Like how she handled that frog?”

“That was an accident!” Yeojin defended.

Being dragged to the local actor’s guild was not how Hyunjin pictured her day going. Stood upon the wooden platform were actors in costume, rehearsing with scripts in hand. They stopped for a moment as, what Hyunjin assumed to be, the director yelled some sort of stage directions before proceeding again. She watched the main actress on stage, dramatically emoting her face to the love interest.

“Is that your girl?” Hyunjin asked the duo. Yerim shook her head.

“No, she should be somewhere—” Yerim stopped short, Hyunjin’s eyes followed her gaze. A small figure sat off in the audience, watching the play with rapt attention. “There she is!” Yerim and Yeojin guided Hyunjin through the aisles until they were sitting next to the girl.

“Nayeon—” Yerim was cut off by Nayeon’s sharp tone.

“Shh! I’m studying,” Nayeon hadn’t even looked away from the stage, passionately mouthing the words that the actress spoke. Hyunjin looked skyward, internally groaning. They were definitely doomed.

“She’s always like this,” Yeojin whispered to Hyunjin, rolling her eyes. “ _Actors_ ,” She scoffed. “Watch this,” She turned to Nayeon whose attention was still attached to the play. “Nayeon, we have a job offer for you.”

Nayeon finally tore her gaze away, eyes landing on Yeojing curiously.

“Go on.”

“Well, you’d be impersonating a person full time...for,” Yeojin turned to Hyunjin.

“A couple of days?” Hyunjin supplied.

“Let’s say a couple of days.”

“And you’ll have time to really delve into this character!” Yerim joined.

“I always dedicate myself to the character, Yerim,” Nayeon replied haughtily, the hair she whipped over her shoulder hitting Yerim square in the face. Hyunjin watched with bated breath as the girl took a very, very long time to contemplate the offer. When she let out another dramatic sigh, Hyunjin broke.

“We’ll pay you, of course,” She spoke. Nayeon’s glare burned bright, and Hyunjin might’ve whimpered a bit if she weren’t so scared of moving for fear of her stabbing her or something.

“Being able to practice my craft is more than enough,” Hyunjin watched as Yeojin rolled her eyes again.

“We didn’t even get to tell you who you’d be playing!” Nayeon quirked a brow. Yeojin took the cue, whispering, “Princess Heejin,” Nayeon pulled back, a curious look on her face.

“You lowlifes are friends with _her_?”

“Does it matter?” Yerim deadpanned. Yerim seemed to catch Hyunjin’s amused smirk— she cleared her throat, sitting a little straighter. “Uh, look, yes, we know _her_ , either way, this is an opportunity for you Nayeon, don’t forget that,” She wagged her finger. Nayeon hummed, stroking her chin. Hyunjin resisted the urge to punt her across the stage. They’d been sitting there for the better part of the hour now, listening to Nayeon hum and haw. She couldn’t be that good of an actress anyway could she?

  
“I’ll do it,” She spoke, standing from her seat with a flourish. She expectantly looked at the three still sitting, stunned by Nayeon’s sudden declaration.

“Well?”

Yeojin stirred a small cauldron (where she got that from was Hyunjin’s best guess) on top of Hyunjin’s cast iron stove, wood burning away inside of it. Yerim sat with Nayeon at the only pieces of furniture in Hyunjin’s place, a dining table (it was really on its last legs if the wobbling was evidence enough), and two chairs that came with the set.

“So...you _don’t_ want me to interact with anyone? I thought this was an acting gig!” Nayeon slapped the table. Hyunjin winced, watching the poor thing creak.

“No, no, I mean, if you have to talk to someone sure, but you want to be as inconspicuous as possible!”

“You don’t think I’m a good enough actor to convince them, is that it!?”

“Nayeon,” Yeirm pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Hyunjin!” Yeojin called. Hyunjin gladly let herself be pulled into the kitchen by the girl’s voice, happy to be away from the heated discussion. “Hey, you happen to have anything from the princess? I need it for the recipe,” She waved a paper around— the recipe, Hyunjin assumed.

“Her name’s Heejin,” Hyunjin reminded her, exasperatedly. She had a name. Plus, they couldn’t very well go around calling her princess. She walked past Yeojin to grab the cloth that once covered freshly baked bread and handed it to Yeojin. “Here,” Yeojin took the cloth with a quirked brow.

“What?” Hyunjin felt herself grow warm. “I just...happened to have it,” She defended. Yeojin grinned at her wordlessly, turning back to the cauldron and dropping the cloth in. Hyunjin winced. She hoped Heejin wouldn’t be missing it any time soon.

With a few more stirs and a couple more ingredients poured in, Yeojin stepped back from the pot. She grabbed an empty round, long-necked bottle from her bag, and ladled the purple mixture in.

“Finished!” Yeojin victoriously held the container up.

“Is it supposed to bubble like that?” Hyunjin questioned.

“Uh,” Yeojin took a look at it. “Yes.” She nodded resolutely. Hyunjin let it slide. It wasn’t like _she_ (or Heejin for that matter) was gonna drink it anyway.

“Great!” Yerim clapped her hands. “We’re all set for tonight then,”

For the first time, Hyunjin was the one coming to Heejin. And Hyunjin wasn’t very ecstatic about that.

The four of them huddled behind bushes near the castle wall, a blind spot that Heejin had told them about last night and often took advantage of. Hyunjin would have to climb the wall, make her way to the keep— where the living quarters were— climb through a window, and find Heejin’s room without drawing any attention. Well, Hyunjin and Nayeon would have to do it. Hyunjin eyed the girl. Yep, she was definitely gonna die by the hands of the Royal Guard.

Hyunjin sighed adjusting the small messenger bag on her shoulder— inside was the potion for Nayeon, an invisibility potion, and a protection potion. Hyunjin could only hope that Yeojin put an _actual_ protection potion and that she wouldn’t be teleported somewhere like that poor frog.

“Alright Shakespeare, you’re with me.”

“Okay, I’m definitely a better actor than that guy,” Nayeon argued. Hyunjin rolled her eyes, pulling her grappling hook out of her bag. One toss up at the wall and she managed to find purchase. She tugged at the rope to secure its stability before climbing it with ease.

She warily poked her head over the side of the wall— “ _The guard on watch is lazy, he always falls asleep,” Heejin explained to Hyunjin, a playful smirk edging onto her face._ Hyunjin hoped she was right. When she didn’t see or hear any movement, Hyunjin carefully climbed over and landed softly. She waved at Nayeon, signaling her to climb the rope. Hyunjin quirked a brow watching as the girl sort of helplessly flailed. When she started swinging from side to side, Hyunjin lost her temper.

“What the hell are you doing?” She whispered, annoyance in her tone.

“I have bad upper body strength!” Hyunjin would wager that she didn’t have any strength. Anywhere. With that, Hyunjin grabbed the rope and pulled her up herself, the burning in her arms be damned. Nayeon finally reached the top, flopping over the side ungracefully with an _‘Oof!’_. 

If that didn’t call any attention, this was gonna be a breeze.

Hyunjin practically dragged Nayeon along with her as they edged along the wall. Surprisingly enough, they reached the keep without any bumps in the road, which did absolutely nothing to ease the anxiety in Hyunjin’s gut. She was only happy that Nayeon hadn’t done something stupid, like talk.

“Lower yourself as soon as I’m off the rope, alright?” Hyunjin instructed Nayeon, who nodded in a surprising show of docileness. She supposed she was as scared as Hyunjin herself was.

Hyunjin secured her grappling hook at the edge of the wall, throwing the rope off the side before lowering herself. They had to make this quick— if a guard were to exit the guard entrance as Nayeon was standing there, they’d be in deep shit. Hyunjin swung herself a bit, jumping and catching the lip of a window pulling herself in.

She watched as Nayeon slid down the rope, but she didn’t move, instead, eyeing Hyunjin with wide eyes. Hyunjin waved her hand forward.

“C’mon!” She whispered.

“Are you fucking kidding me? That gap is like, three feet! I’m gonna die!” Nayeon pointedly looked down at the ground far below them.

“Jesus—” Hyunjin perked up at the sound of voices down the corridor. “Stay there!” She spoke quickly, paying no mind to the whispered yells of her name as she found a room to hide in. At the third locked door, Hyunjin submitted to her fate. _Fuck_ , she watched as two guards rounded the corner, both stopping at the sight of Hyunjin.

“Stop! What are you doing in the castle walls!?” The taller one spoke, unsheathing his sword. Hyunjin’s hands shot up in surrender. “Speak!” He demanded.

“I— uh, lost my cat?” The two guards looked at her incredulously.

“Hyunjin!?” Nayeon peered out from the window that Hyunjin had entered through. Hyunjin slapped her forehead.

“Nice timing,” Hyunjin muttered.

The two guards, their swords now unsheathed, proceeded to gain ground on Hyunjin. Hyunjin quickly grabbed her own sword, managing to deflect a blow from the shorter guard, causing him to stagger back. She deflected the following hit from the other guard, parrying and striking at his right leg, one of the few places on his body that wasn’t heavily armored. He fell to the ground with a heavy thump. The shorter guard shot forward, the point of his sword nearly catching Hyunjin’s shoulder. She rolled to the right with finesse.

The second guard was standing again, limping on his leg. They stared her down before the shorter one charged with a yell. He swung his sword down and Hyunjin made a swift step to the side, catching his hands with her blade. His sword fell to the floor with a clatter, and Hyunjin swept her leg forward, landing a kick to his face. The moment he fell the taller guard swung at her with a large arc of his sword, Hyunjin caught it with her own, sliding metal against metal, she twirled her weapon expertly, effectively disarming the man— his blade leaping into the air. His gaze followed shining metal for a second, a second that Hyunjin took advantage of, using the butt of her sword to strike at his throat, then his temple. He fell, joining his colleague on the ground.

“Holy shit,” Nayeon whispered. Hyunjin had to agree.

They tied their hands and feet back with rope (Nayeon was surprisingly efficient at tying knots— _“The stagehands taught me this!”_ ) and shoved them into a storage closet down the hall before proceeding. Hyunjin tried her best to calm her heart, her eyes frantically glancing for the very thing Heejin had told her to keep an eye out for when searching for her room. She sighed heavily with relief at the sight of it— _“There’s an ugly painting of this lady in a green dress, my room is to the right of it,” Heejin instructed Hyunjin._ Hyunjin tugged on Nayeon’s sleeve, silently telling her to follow.

Hyunjin held her breath, tapping on the door in a particular sequence. One. One two. One. One two three. The door swung open, revealing Heejin. Hyunjin had to hold back a noise of surprise, she hadn’t seen Heejin in her royal garments since...well, since the rescue from the tower, and even those weren’t as pristine as what she currently wore. Heejin grabbed Hyunjin’s hand, pulling her into the room. Hyunjin didn’t suppress that next sound of surprise, a quiet _“Oh”_ that escaped her lips, when Heejin nearly strangled her in her embrace. Hyunjin sunk into it momentarily, Heejin’s body warming her, before stepping back.

“Alright, we need to act quick, I just knocked out two of your guards and I don’t know when they’re gonna wake up,”

“You—” Heejin stopped wide-eyed, processing the information. “Right, uh,” She turned to Nayeon. “Hi, I’m Heejin,” She held out her hand, to which Nayeon limply shook. Hyunjin held down a snort. She contemplated telling Heejin that she really doesn’t need to introduce herself because she’s literally the princess, but Hyunjin digressed. Hyunjin pulled the purple potion from her bag, handing it Nayeon.

“Here, drink up,” The actress did so without much fuss, guzzling the entire thing down.

“How long does it take?” Heejin asked.

“Yeojin said ten minutes or so, it’s gotta process a little bit. Get her your nightdress,” Heejin nodded, heading to the armoire in the room.

“Remember, no interacting with people unless it’s necessary,”

“It won’t be too hard, nobody here really talks much. Someone will escort you to all your meals, I rarely have any with my parents and I just have my daily studies, but you’ll have someone to take you there too.” Heejin paused momentarily, “Well, there’s my sister too, but she shouldn’t be too much of an issue,” Heejin assured Nayeon, plopping her clothes into her arms. Nayeon swept her hair behind her shoulder.

“I’ve been studying your character for years, I have this handled,” Heejin shot Hyunjin an amused look. Hyunjin shrugged. Nayeon looked at both of them expectantly.

“Well? _Turn around_! I don’t flaunt my goods for just anyone,” Nayeon hissed at them.

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, turning to the wall directly behind them. Heejin tugged at her sleeve, gaining her attention.

“Are you okay?”

“Hm?”

“It’s just— you said you ran into guards, I don’t know if…” Heejin’s eyes searched her own. Hyunjin felt a warmth come to her cheeks.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine. They didn’t even touch me,” Hyunjin felt her heart jump at the sight of the large grin that occupied Heejin’s face.

“So...there’s no way to convince you to _not_ come?” Hyunjin ventured.

“Nope,” Hyunjin took in the steadfast look in her eyes and nodded, knowing there was no way that she was gonna win that argument.

“Alright.”

“Finished,” Hyunjin jumped in surprise at the voice coming from behind them. Hyunjin turned to see...Princess Heejin.

“Well, shit, it worked.”

“How do I look?” Nayeon twirled. Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“This is weird,” Heejin spoke, leaning closer to inspect Nayeon.

Just then, a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Heekie?” Heejin’s eyes widened.

“Heekie?” Hyunjin questioned. Heejin shook her head rapidly, pulling Hyunjin by her wrist.

“Shit! Hide! Now!” Heejin pushed Hyunjin towards a corner of the room, but it was too late. Hyunjin winced at the tell-tale creak of the door swinging open.

“Oh,” There stood Heejin’s sister— Eunbi, if Hyunjin remembered correctly. The girl’s eyes flicked from Nayeon, well Heejin now, and Heejin and Hyunjin on the other side of the room. “I can see you’re...busy.”

“Eunbi—” Hyunjin mentally pat herself on the back for remembering that one. “Wait! Please, close the door? I can explain…” Heejin pleaded quietly. Her sister quirked a brow, head turning to check the hallway before entering the room quietly and closing the door.

This wasn’t part of the plan. This wasn’t part of any plan, for that matter, and Hyunjin was contemplating jumping out of the window to save her pride. And her head. No way was she gonna let the royals catch her in their youngest daughter’s room. She would never live to see tomorrow.

“So,” She began, eyeing Hyunjin. Hyunjin gulped. “This is the girl you sneak out to see every night?” Eunbi finished. Heejin grew red, sputtering.

“I— no, how did you know!?”

“You’re not exactly subtle, plus, you’re not the only one that sneaks out, I just don’t do it as often as you,” Eunbi inspected her nails. Hyunjin kind of liked this girl.

“Please don’t tell mom and dad,” Heejin pleaded.

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know!”

“Heekie,” Eunbi sighed, walking over to Heejin. “You’re stupid, first off,” She put up a finger like she was checking off a list. “Second, wow, your girlfriend’s a cute little thing, huh?” She smirked, giving Hyunjin a wink. Hyunjin felt her cheeks warm. She muttered a confused thanks, but Eunbi kept going. “So, you wanna explain the body double?” She pointed to Nayeon, who’d long ago given up the facade of sleeping and was inspecting herself (checking herself out, more like) in the mirror.

Heejin cleared her throat. “Uh, that’s Nayeon,” Nayeon turned around on cue, waving at Eunbi, her hand cupped like she was participating in some sort of pageant, and didn’t just break into the Jeon’s living quarters. Eunbi returned the gesture. “I’m going on a quest with Hyunjin,” Heejin pulled at Hyunjin’s sleeve, making Hyunjin reflexively stand straighter. “And Nayeon’s covering for me,”

Eunbi looked back at Nayeon for a moment. “That’s a damn good mirage spell,” She bit her lip in thought. “Alright, well, be careful.”

“Seriously? Just like that?” Heejin spoke incredulously.

“Sure,” Eunbi looked pointedly at Hyunjin, “Take care of her. If anything happens, I know how to use a sword, and I fight dirty,” Hyunjin shrunk into herself, nodding.

This wasn’t news to Hyunjin. Heejin had mentioned to her before that they were trained to fight by the royal guards. She’d never seen Heejin use a sword before, which Hyunjin wasn’t sure if she was disappointed by or happy about.

“So, how’re you getting out then?” Eunbi spoke.

The original plan was for Hyunjin to drink the invisibility potion and follow Heejin out into the garden and book it to the secret guard entrance that Heejin had discovered one summer. The entrance led directly outside of the castle.

Eunbi had other ideas though.

Hyunjin watched as Heejin chugged down half of the potion, passing it off to Hyunjin to finish.

“Alright, we gotta move, that thing—” Eunbi pointed to the bottle in Hyunjin’s hand, “Won’t last as long split between you two,” They duo nodded. Eunbi turned to Nayeon, “Alright kiddo, showtime.”

Nayeon nodded with confidence, winking at Heejin. “I was born for a role like this,” Hyunjin shoved down a groan, apparently not well enough, because she could hear the tittering laugh of Heejin beside her. The girl slotted her hand in Hyunjin’s (Hyunjin didn’t quite remember it being so warm) following Eunbi and Nayeon as they walked out of the room. The invisibility potion was completely working by now.

Eunbi led them downstairs and into the main hall. They were nearing the door when two guards came into sight.

“Princess Eunbi, Princess Heejin,” One of the guards spoke, bowing to each of them, before continuing. “Where are you going to at this time of night?”

“Oh, Gerard, we just wanted to go to the gardens. I wanted to get some fresh air,” Eunbi put on her most charming smile. Nayeon nodded a little too enthusiastically, in Hyunjin’s opinion. She watched, breath coming short, as the guard regarded both of them for a long moment, before opening the doors.

“Yes, of course, please don’t be away for too long,”

“Of course Gerard,” Eunbi gave a small bow before continuing out of the front door.

Making it out from there was much easier. By the time they reached the gardens, their forms were nearly visible. Eunbi hugged Heejin tightly with a, “Be careful, alright?” She gave Hyunjin a serious look, “Take care of Heekie,” Heejin groaned.

“Leave her alone,” She rolled her eyes. Eunbi only grinned, patting Heejin’s shoulder before shooing them away. Eunbi’s gaze suddenly grew soft again.

“I just don’t want a repeat of last year, Heekie.”

“It’s different this time around,” Heejin gave Eunbi a comforting squeeze to her bicep. Hyunjin looked away after that. Heejin grabbed her hand again, pulling her away from the gardens after she finished her goodbyes with her sister.

“Hey!” Hyunjin spoke just before leaving Eunbi’s and Nayeon’s sight. “Behave,” She pointed to Nayeon, receiving a scoff in return. The nerve— Hyunjin groaned, hoping that Eunbi would be able to reign her in.

Heejin took a shortcut to the stables, where they reached the passageway. When they made it to the familiar formation of bushes, Yeojin’s potion had thoroughly worn off.

“Good to see you again,” Heejin smiled at Hyunjin. Hyunjin cleared her throat, willing the warmth in her face to vanish.

“You too _Heekie,”_ Hyunjin shot Heejin a smug smile. Heejin groaned, shoving at her.

“Shut up,” She muttered.

“Guys? We’re good,” Hyunjin spoke up, eyes darting to find familiar figures hiding amongst the trees. The duo stumbled out of the bushes, twigs, and leaves in their hair and wide grins on their face.

“We knew you could do it!” She hopped over to Hyunjin and Heejin, hugging them tightly.

“Honestly, I was pretty sure you were gonna die,” Yeojin spoke. Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“So,” Heejin spoke up when Yerim pulled away. “How do you suppose we find a frog?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does it show how much I love Nayeon (certainly not as much as she loves herself though, lol)?
> 
> Anyway, feel free to comment! I appreciate any sort of feedback I can get!!


	3. Hyunjin Just Wants to Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin officially hated riding horseback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The introduction of Jiwoo and Sooyoung! Yay!
> 
> Also, this chapter is a bit short, which sort of bothers me, but it's just how I ended up splitting everything up. The pacing just worked out that way I suppose.

Hyunjin officially hated riding horseback. It wasn’t her preferred way of travel. If she could get everywhere on foot, she would, but when traveling from the Jeon Kingdom over to the next, the Kim Kingdom, it was sort of a necessary evil. She supposed it was her fault though, she was the one to suggest this after all.

How does one track down a frog? Well, the solution was simple. Find a tracker. Obviously. And they were in luck because Hyunjin knew the best. The only catch was that this person lived close to the next kingdom over. Hence the horseback riding.

Hyunjin let out a groan of relief when her feet finally touched the ground again. She needed a bed, or a chair, stat. Heejin looked surprisingly at home on the horse, not even wincing as she jumped down from the mount and stretched a bit.

“I ride a lot,” Heejin explained, seeing Hyunjin’s curious stares. Hyunjin looked away, feeling her cheeks warm unnecessarily. It wasn’t like she was staring at Heejin. Well, she was. Not for any reason to be embarrassed by though.

“So, where to now?” Yerim spoke, watching Hyunjin tie her horse to the posts outside of the kingdom walls. People bustled all around them, coming in and out of the castle, some in carriages, some with large backpacks on them, setting out for journeys much like Hyunjin was finding herself on.

Hyunjin gestured for them to follow her into the gates of the kingdom. The day was slowly falling into dusk as Hyunjin led the other three through cobblestoned streets. Hyunjin was glad that they’d stopped. She wasn’t sure they’d be able to make it through the woods safely at a time like this.

“Do you know this person well?” Heejin asked, her hand falling to the crook of Hyunjin’s arm. Hyunjin stared at it for a moment before replying.

“Uh, yeah, we go back a bit,” She rubbed at her neck with her other hand.

“And you just...have a key to her place?”

“Well, yeah, she said she doesn’t use it often,” Hyunjin shrugged. Sooyoung was nomadic by nature— it wasn’t often that she’d settle in one place for very long, so Hyunjin had found herself catching a heavy iron key, thrown directly at her face, courtesy of Sooyoung.  _ “Just don’t fuck up the decor,”  _ Were the only instructions she was given, which worked for Hyunjin. This would be the first time she’s ever used it though.

They turned up at the small house, which was, of course, close to a tavern. Hyunjin wasn’t sure Sooyoung would be able to live without a tavern within walking distance of her at all times. She liked her card games. And she also loved cheating at her card games. All the time. Maybe that’s where she honed in her impeccable skill to slip out of any sticky situation. Hyunjin envied her for it.

“I feel like we’re gonna get mugged,” Yeojin spoke, eyes shifting across the shadows that littered the streets. Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Well, if we do, I’m leaving you as bait.”

“HEY!”

“Alright, alright,” Heejin suppressed her chuckles. Hyunjin shot her an amused grin that earned her a slap to her shoulder. It was worth it.

When Hyunjin got the door open, she stopped in her tracks, eyes catching shoes in the foyer, laying in disarray. Two pairs. She held a hand up to the other three, gesturing for them to wait. Her ears perked at the sound of creaking.

“I knew we were gonna get mugged!” Yeojin whispered. Yerim shushed her, and Hyunjin gave her a look that hopefully conveyed thankfulness.

“Stay,” Hyunjin spoke to them, she was stopped short by a hand grabbing her sleeve. Heejin’s eyes were wide, lips downturned. Hyunjin swallowed.

“Please don’t die.”

“I’ll try not to,” Hyunjin pulled away, creeping further into the house. She held her dagger in her hand, ready to slash at anything that would come her way— her sword was a bit too big for the space, the walls would probably take more damage than the attacker. As she approached the door on the far end of the house, down the curve of the hallway, the sound got louder.

Then, a shriek.

Hyunjin had a momentary fight happening inside of her. One part was telling her to just leave, and fuck it— they really could find another place to stay, it wouldn’t hurt to shell out a bit of cash. Plus, the furniture and sheets were probably all dusty anyway. The other part of her told her that someone was in, what was technically  _ her _ house (since Sooyoung certainly didn’t want to lay claim to it), and it was her job to kick them out. Also, the fact that they were probably in trouble and would need the help, but that was far back, in the recesses of her mind.

Hyunjin settled on an option.

She quickly made her way towards the door, kicking it down with a swift kick, ready for anything.

Anything but her friend, Sooyoung, naked, in bed with— well, she couldn’t really put a name to her face, but she sure looked familiar, with those wide innocent eyes (which, how could she look so innocent when they were clearly doing something that was  _ not _ innocent?), and blunt bangs, that were probably nice when they weren’t all sweaty and disheveled— Hyunjin was looking away now.

“WHAT THE FUCK—!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” Hyunjin yelled, hands covering her eyes.

“CLOSE THE GODDAMN DOOR, KIM!”

“I CAN’T I’M IMPAIRED!” Hyunjin absolutely refused to remove her hands, in fact, from now on, they were glued to her eyelids, this was it.

“Hyunjin?!” Maybe Hyunjin could make an exception. She moved her hand away, to see Heejin’s concerned face turn to one of pure and utter bewilderment. “Jiwoo?” And, now,  _ that _ name clicked into Hyunjin’s head with familiarity.

“Heekie?” The woman spoke, voice sweet and high.

“Oh god,” Heejin groaned, mirroring Hyunjin and looking away as well. “Please, don’t call me that when you’re…” Heejin trailed off. “We’re gonna wait in the other room, just...y’know,” And Heejin took Hyunjin by the arm, gratefully taking her away from the mess that was Hyunjin’s life.

Yerim and Yeojin stood at the end of the hallway, Yeojin cackling and Yerim, whose face was in a similar state as Heejin’s own.

Sooyoung entered the living room, hair still mussed, though Hyunjin’s happy that she’s at least dressed (which is a surprise, because the Sooyoung she knows would be a bit too prideful to do even that, but, Hyunjin tries not to question it). Jiwoo has the decency to look ashamed, her cheeks a soft pink, but her lips were pulled into a large smile nonetheless. The small woman bounded up to Heejin, wrangling her into a tight hug.

“Heekie! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming through?” Sooyoung sat across from the four, on the couch opposite them.

“Yeah, Hyun, the heads up would’ve been nice,” Sooyoung accused, eyebrow raised. Hyunjin could really wipe that stupid expression off of Sooyoung’s face, but she’s brought back down by Heejin’s hand, squeezing her own.

“Erm, no one knows that I’m here,” Heejin’s smile was bashful. Jiwoo’s eyes widened.

“You’re undercover!?”

“Under—? Well, no…”

“Exactly—” Yeojin spoke at the same time. Hyunjin groaned.

“No one asked you!”

“Why in the hell did you bring those little leeches into my place?” Sooyoung gestured to Yerim and Yeojin who stood behind the couch where Heejin and Hyunjin sat. Yerim waved innocently, and Yeojin scoffed in reply to Sooyoung’s— fitting, in Hyunjin’s opinion— jab.

“I have a key!” Hyunjin waved the aforementioned object in her hand. Sooyoung looked at the object incredulously.

“Whose stupid idea was that!?”

“ _ Yours _ , you idiot! You’re the one that left it with me, saying that I could have the place!” Sooyoung grimaced.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,” Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but, who are you guys and what are you doing with Heekie?” Jiwoo interjected, her facial expression dropped suddenly and she retreated to grab Sooyoung’s arm. “Wait...you didn’t kidnap her or anything right?”

“Do I look kidnapped?” Heejin deadpanned.

“You could be under a spell!”

“None of us can do magic!” Yerim tried to assuage Jiwoo’s worries. Yeojin tried to interject with a loud  _ ‘HEY!’ _ , but it was quickly silenced by Yerim’s glare.

“I’m Yerim! And this is Yeojin!” Yerim continued with a strained smile. Hyunjin felt a push at her shoulder, and took that as her cue from Yerim to speak.

“Hyunjin, hi,” Jiwoo greeted everyone with an eager wave. Hyunjin raised her brows at the woman, turning to Sooyoung, whose amused smirk only served to annoy Hyunjin further.

“These two idiots needed help finding something, so they hired me. We’re looking for Hyejoo, we needed somewhere to stay for the night, and your place was close,” Hyunjin succinctly explained. Sooyoung chewed on the information for a moment, eyes narrowing.

“Why’s the princess with you then?” She pointed at Heejin, who shrunk a bit under Sooyoung’s gaze. Hyunjin reflexively shot her a glare.

“What’s  _ Princess Jiwoo  _ doing in your  _ bed _ ?” Hyunjin shot back.

“We’re dating,” Sooyoung shrugged. Jiwoo’s smile burned bright as she borrowed further into Sooyoung’s side. Heejin’s eyes were wide, probably as wide as Hyunjin’s, as she regarded Jiwoo. Jiwoo only sent an affirmative nod her way.

“Why the fuck would you date Soo?” Hyunjin blurted.

“Who the hell  _ doesn’t _ wanna date me?”

“What’s up with princesses dating bounty hunters these days?” Yeojin mumbled under her breath, but Yeojin was Yeojin, and with shouting being her normal speaking level, everyone heard the “mumble”.

“Oh my god! Are you two together?! I thought so!” Jiwoo squealed excitedly, jumping away from Sooyoung to embrace Heejin again.

“No, nope, that’s not— nope, we’re not together! Just friends!” Hyunjin yelled over the commotion. Sooyoung cocked an eyebrow. Jiwoo pulled away from Heejin, a furrow in her brows.

“Uh, yeah,” Heejin muttered.

“Oh, sorry,” Jiwoo frowned. She turned to Hyunjin, “Heejin was being stubborn wasn’t she?” Hyunjin was a little too amused by the way Heejin spluttered, red.

“How’d you know?”

“She can be very persuasive!” Jiwoo grinned. Hyunjin nodded in agreement.

“Look, we just need a place to stay. I can even pay if you want,” Hyunjin sighed. Sooyoung snorted, ambling over to Hyunjin and giving her a firm pat on her head. Hyunjin pulled away from it with a grumble.

“You idiot,” She rolled her eyes. “Of course you can stay. Just as long as you don’t keep creeping in while Jiwoo and I are getting it on,” Sooyoung winked at Hyunjin, making the woman groan, heat creeping into her cheeks.

“Deal.”

Dinner at Sooyoung’s was unexpectedly domestic, and, while it was heartwarming and all, it sort of made Hyunjin’s skin crawl. Her friend, her slimey friend that valued money more than anything, her friend that she’s personally seen underhand several people, was one of the sappiest people that Hyunjin’s seen to date.

Sooyoung hung around Jiwoo, who was currently frying something in a pan, whispering in her ear, making the girl turn red and giggle. Her smile was wider than Hyunjin’s witnessed (well, maybe except for the times that she would revel in other people’s pain, mainly Hyunjin’s when she’d done something particularly stupid or embarrassing. Not that Hyunjin does a lot of embarrassing stuff), as she attempted to tickle Jiwoo.

“They’re cute, huh?” Heejin leaned over, whispering to Hyunjin. Hyunjin shrugged.

“It...kind of makes me sick to my stomach,” Heejin snorted, pushing at Hyunjin’s shoulder.

“Aren’t you happy for your friend?”

“I guess. Aren’t you concerned for your friend? Sooyoung’s not the nicest person around,” Heejin’s gaze fell to the two, biting her lip for a moment.

“It’s her choice. And Jiwoo’s got a good judge of character. It’s not all the time that royalty gets to make their own...romantic decisions,” Heejin frowned. Hyunjin shuddered at the thought Heejin being handed off to some random noble.

“But, I guess it’s a good thing that we don’t really stick to the rules,” Heejin continued with a chuckle, her lips falling into a soft smile. Hyunjin found herself mirroring it.

Naturally, the group had fallen into conversation, eventually leading into them explaining their “quest” to Sooyoung. Sooyoung guffawed, food nearly spraying from her mouth. Jiwoo pat her comfortingly on her back, light giggles falling from her grin.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! You fed it to a frog!?” Yeojin grumbled from the other side of the table.

“That’s what I said,” Hyunjin took a piece of bread that Heejin had offered her— Hyunjin had already finished her own portion.

“I’m surprised they managed to pull you into it,” Sooyoung raised a brow at Hyunjin, her eyes sliding to Heejin for a moment. “Or, I guess you didn’t need much convincing huh?” Hyunjin rolled her eyes (unfortunately, Sooyoung’s comment hit a little too close to home, but Hyunjin wasn’t gonna say anything about it).

“So, you’re trying to find a tracker then?” Jiwoo asked, Heejin nodded. “You’re a tracker too, right Sooyoungie?”

“No, baby, they’re getting help from  _ the _ tracker, there’s no one like her.”

“The ‘Wolf’,” Hyunjin air quoted. She always hated that nickname, a little too on the nose if you asked her. Jiwoo’s eyebrows raised, her eyes widening comically.

“She exists!? I heard she eats people!” Sooyoung snorted.

“Yeah, maybe her girlfriend—”

“Shut up,” Hyunjin groaned leaning her elbows against the table and burying her face in her hands.

“Please tell me we’re not getting help from a werewolf!” Yeojin jumped up from her chair, shaking the tabletop.

“She’s not! She’s just a normal tracker...with a wolf,” Hyunjin explained, muttering the last part.

“A wolf?” Heejin questioned.

“She has a wolf!? Oh my god, you’re joking—!”

“Why would I be—?”

“Yeojin, you’re stepping on my foot—!” Yerim’s voice interjected. Hyunjin ran a hand down her face.

“Hey, be careful,” Sooyoung gave her a pointed look, tone suddenly serious. Hyunjin raised a brow. “I mean it, there’s been a rise in succubus sightings in that area lately,” She tapped a finger on the table.

“Wait, like...sex demons?” Heejin asked, silently finding Hyunjin’s hand under the table. Hyunjin gave it a squeeze, wanting to drain the fear she’d heard in her voice.

“It’s a little more than that…” Sooyoung scooted forward, her voice conspiratorial. “They say that they can lure with their voice, and looks, and then they skin you alive,” A wicked grin made its way to Sooyoung’s face “I mean, after having sex with you, that is,” Her statement was met with shocked gasps from the younger two. Heejin remained quiet, and it would’ve seemed normal, if Hyunjin didn’t clock the way her muscles tensed. Even Jiwoo looked scared, paler than Hyunjin’s seen her so far.

“Alright, stop spewing bullshit,” Hyunjin butted in, annoyed.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Obviously not, asshole.”

“Can we talk about something else? Please?” Yerim spoke. The table complied, diving into a conversation about the existence of unicorns after Yeojin proudly exclaimed that she had seen one just the other day.

That night, Hyunjin found herself laying, stiff, beside Heejin, whose breath evened out hours ago. Hyunjin regretted the long, drawn-out argument she had with Yeojin, claiming that she and Yerim were young and spritely, therefore, were able to sleep in the living room, while Hyunjin and Heejin deserved the bed. She clearly didn’t realize what sharing a bed with Heejin would entail. Heejin’s face was softened by sleep, her features innocent, and body draped in a soft nightdress, provided by Jiwoo, who had to leave to sneak back into the castle (Hyunjin tried to ignore what that had reminded her of).

Heejin shifted, drawing just closer to Hyunjin, settling her head against her shoulder. Hyunjin held her breath, clenching her eyes shut. She could just turn over and take her into her arms. It would be easy, of course. She could see it in her head, she could practically feel that nightdress against her arms— against her hands as she held the shorter woman.

Heejin shifted again, an arm curling around Hyunjin’s torso. Hyunjin’s hugged Heejin before, sure, not of her own volition, and not often at all, but this wasn’t like hugging Heejin. She wasn’t sure she’d felt this much warmth during their hugs, burning her from the inside out. But maybe she wanted to be burned. Hyunjin turned her head to face Heejin, closing her eyes and succumbing to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I made Sooyoung and Hyunjin friends lmao. They interact a little more now, so I can argue that it's in character!!
> 
> But anyway, let me know how you liked this chapter! Comments are always appreciated!


	4. Wolves and Hyejoo and Succubi! Oh My!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up early wasn’t an entirely fun activity for Hyunjin, but one thing she hated more than waking up early, was Sooyoung’s monologues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This is the longest chapter yet, so strap in! A lot happens in this one. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> TW: A little violent imagery, some fighting, and blood is spilled. Nothing entirely too graphic, but thought I'd warn you just in case.

They departed first thing in the morning.

Waking up early wasn’t an entirely fun activity for Hyunjin, but one thing she hated more than waking up early, was Sooyoung’s monologues. The taller woman had offered to walk them out of the kingdom to the edge of the woods, to which everyone, but Hyunjin agreed to. Hyunjin’s pretty sure she only offered because Jiwoo wasn’t around and Sooyoung was acting like a lost puppy without her (the revelation that her friend was that deeply in love both disturbed and amused Hyunjin to no end).

It wasn’t even a long walk (which was why Hyunjin had managed to convince the others to leave their horses, thank god), and Sooyoung had already managed to derail the light conversations they’d been having to a lengthy story about how she decapitated a troll once all by herself with a sharp stick or something to that effect. Hyunjin had tuned it all out by now. She was pretty sure the only person who was still interested was Yeojin, who had managed to create a weird sort of partnership with Sooyoung, despite only having met with her a couple of times by now. Hyunjin shuddered at the idea of them together... _alone_. They’d make kingdoms fall, surely.

“And when I hit his artery, the blood just sprayed everywhere!” Sooyoung exclaimed, flailing her hands out for emphasis.

“Alright, well, I think this is the end of the line,” Hyunjin spoke loudly, turning around to regard Sooyoung. Heejin chuckled beside her. Sooyoung nodded, clapping a hand on Hyunjin’s shoulder. Hyunjin winced at the impact.

“I guess,” She sighed. “Anyway, remember to knock next time!” She winked, turning to leave.

“Seriously?” Sooyoung turned back.

“What, you want me to say I love you?”

“I hate you!”

“Bring your girlfriend next time you come around!” Hyunjin _did not_ blush at that statement. But maybe she did feel a bit of warmth in her cheeks, which was furthered by the way that Heejin naturally curled her hands around Hyunjin’s arm. Fuck.

“What about us!?” Yeojin yelled. Sooyoung paused for a moment.

“Anyway, tell the kiddos ‘Hi’ for me!” Hyunjin would not forgive Sooyoung for being the catalyst to Yeojin annoyed mumblings.

Finding Hyejoo’s house was a lot harder than Hyunjin remembers it being. Maybe because of all of the leaves on the dirt floor, crunching against her shoes. It made her feel like they weren’t gaining any ground, and they’d been at it, for what felt like, over an hour already.

Yerim had, somehow, roped Heejin into a conversation, talking about the time that their friend Jungeun had fallen asleep on night watch while they were camping and elves had taken them captive, of all things. Hyunjin didn’t get to hear the climax of that story (though, she’d heard it a dozen times from all parties involved). She’d embarrassingly snagged her foot on something (she knew she hated those leaves for a reason) and almost hit the ground, stumbling into Yeojin who was walking beside her. Yeojin jumped, with a yelp, her eyes darting around.

“What!? What— what happened!?”

“Relax,” Hyunjin crouched down to inspect what her foot had managed to unbury from the ground, retrieving something that made her stomach drop.

“Hyunjin?” It was Heejin. Hyunjin slowly turned with the object in hand, dangling delicately from her fingertips, holding it away from her like it was infectious. Hyunjin could see the familiarity that clicked in Heejin’s eyes turn to fear.

“IS THAT A BONE!?” Cue Yeojin’s panicked squeal.

“I don’t know! And shut up!” Hyunjin hissed, shooting her eyes around the clearing. The last thing they needed was a succubus to come around, or hell a bear, or maybe a lion if she wanted to reach— anything that was big and had fangs for that matter.

“I’m sure it’s just...an animal bone,” Heejin attempted to soothe Hyunjin, but Hyunjin only sent her a horrified look.

“It’s pretty big for an animal!” Yerim exclaimed, now huddling closer to Heejin and Hyunjin. When Yerim tried to touch it, Hyunjin pulled back, tossing it to the ground again.

“How about we find Hyejoo and _not_ stand around in the forest for the succubi to eat our flesh?” Hyunjin suggested. Heejin sighed next to her.

“I thought you didn’t believe Sooyoung,” Heejin shot her a pointed look. Hyunjin would’ve retorted with something equally as snarky, but her attention was pulled away by the sight of Yeojin holding the bone that nearly caused cardiac arrest in Hyunjin.

“Yeojin, seriously?”

“What? It’s cool,” Yeojin struck a pose, holding the bone like a sword. Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“It's creepy,” Yerim frowned.

“Please get rid of it,” Hyunjin grunted.

“Why?”

“ _Yeojin_ ,”

“God, fine,” Yeojin groaned, proceeding to fling the bone behind the group with an unnecessary amount of force. Hyunjin watched, wide-eyed, as the bone soared for a good twenty or so feet. Yerim let out an amazed gasp, patting Yeojin on the shoulder.

“Well then,” Heejin clapped her hands. “I guess we should get moving,”

And so they did— attempt, that is. Yerim led the pack (no matter how many times Hyunjin protested that she’d be safer near the middle), Yeojin behind her with Heejin and Hyunjin following. Hyunjin’s ears perked at the sounds of leaves crackling repetitively. She stopped abruptly, grabbing Heejin’s attention.

“What’s wrong?” Heejin leaned closer to Hyunjin. Hyunjin only had time to shove her away as her eyes caught a white figure, bursting through the tree line. A wolf, a _huge_ wolf, came running towards the group.

“Holy shit—!” Hyunjin heard Yeojin exclaim. Rightly so. 

“Go!” Hyunjin yelled to them, hands already holding her sword steady as she tried to wrack her brain on how exactly one fights a wolf.

The revelation never really came to Hyunjin. The animal leaped at her and Hyunjin didn’t have much of a choice but to fall along with it with a _thump_. She heard the shrill scream of her name fall from Heejin’s lips— Hyunjin nearly screaming back at her that _she really shouldn’t be this close_ and _what happened to_ **_‘go’_** **?**

Hyunjin shoved at the animal— it was much heavier than she’d anticipated— desperately crawling away from it, brandishing her sword like it could recognize her threats, but it only continued to walk towards her. That was when Hyunjin recognized what it was carrying in its mouth.

“You’re fucking with me,” She spoke incredulously, watching as the wolf dropped the bone— the very bone that Yeojin had thrown like her life depended on it— at her feet, panting happily. That was when it clicked. “Gureumie?”

The white wolf barked in response. She could swear that he looked like he was grinning. Suddenly, Gureumie surged forward, covering her cheek with slobbery kisses. 

Hyunjin pushed him away, with a groan. “Gross,” She muttered. She was never that big of a fan of canines, but she could admit that Gureumie had his moments.

Hyunjin’s eyes fell to the others, who watched on the sidelines, shocked. Yerim looked like she was about ready to faint, Yeojin ready to run and Heejin, the closest to Hyunjin, was actively wiping at her face.

“Is it...docile?” Heejin wandered close to Hyunjin.

“Yeah, this is Gureumie, he's Hyejoo’s wolf,” Hyunjin stood, dusting off her pants.

“I didn’t know she actually had a wolf!” Yeojin spoke from behind Yerim, who she was using as a shield. “Just so you know Hyunjin, if you were attacked by that thing, I wasn’t gonna come back.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Heejin was by Hyunjin’s side in a second, her hands holding her face. Hyunjin tried pulling away, unused to seeing Heejin so close— unused to the way that she could feel Heejin’s warm breath puffing against her as she tilted her head to and fro. When Heejin wouldn’t let up, Hyunjin opted to stand uselessly, letting Heejin have her moment.

“Are you alright?” Heejin’s voice was weak, the words coming out stilted as her gaze bored into Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin swallowed.

“I’m fine,” She forced a chuckle out. Hyunjin, making a split-second decision (because Hyunjin always worked like this, confident to begin with and slowly realizing her faulty logic as things play out), stretched her hand out, wiping a fresh tear track from Heejin’s cheek. Her skin was soft, Hyunjin noted.

When they pulled away from one another, Yerim and Yeojin were petting Gureumie with a newfound enthusiasm.

“Oh my god, can we keep him? I want him!” Yeojin exclaimed, rubbing at the wolf’s belly.

“You were just scared of him,” Yerim retorted.

Heejin made her way over to two, and Hyunjin held down the way her insides felt like they were coiling and knotting up at the sight of her stroking Gureumie’s fur. Heejin’s smile was wide when she looked to Hyunjin and Hyunjin couldn’t help the way her lips fell into one too (and she was sure it was dopey, but Hyunjin really didn’t have the energy to worry about _that_ right now).

They found themselves shadowing the wolf, who seemed to have some sort of destination in mind, which was good enough for Hyunjin (and, seemingly, the rest of the group). It couldn’t be worse than the aimless walking they were doing just a bit ago.

Yerim and Yeojin kept up a game of fetch during the hike. Hyunjin’s attention was torn away from Gureumie’s, admittedly impressive, show of agility, catching the bone mid arc in the air, by Heejin’s hold on her arm tightening. Hyunjin followed her line of sight, seeing a small figure moving towards them.

“Gureumie!” The wolf rushed over to the source of the voice, nearly knocking her small form over. Hyunjin snorted at the sight, jogging over to her.

“Chae? I was expecting Hyejoo to come for Gureumie,” Hyunjin helped the blonde up to her feet. She hadn’t seen the shorter woman in a while now, not since Heejin’s rescue, but she still carried those same doll-like features— porcelain skin, large expressive eyes, pouty lips.

“He likes walking with me more,” Chaewon shrugged. “He’s usually better about listening to me than this,” She rolled her eyes. Gureumie dropped the bone, still in his mouth, right at the blonde woman’s feet. “Looks like you found his bone though, he loves that thing,” Hyunjin hummed affirmatively.

“Oh, Soo said ‘hi’ by the way.”

“Oh,” Chaewon giggled. “Hyejoo’s gonna love hearing that.”

“Did you know that she’s dating Princess Jiwoo?” Hyunjin exclaimed excitedly. She watched her face for a reaction, but Chaewon just nodded, with an anticlimactic _“Yep,”_. “Wait, what, you knew? How?”

“Jinsol told us.”

“How the hell does Jinsol know?”

“Jungeun is best friends with Jiwoo, and Jungeun tells Jinsol everything,” Chaewon shrugged. Hyunjin might’ve forgotten about that. She’d have to chew the couple out for that the next time she saw them. She grumbled but was quickly interrupted by the other three approaching their little bubble. 

“A fae?” Yerim’s voice broke into their conversation. Hyunjin’s eyebrows rose. She was surprised that Yerim was able to identify Chaewon so quickly like that. It took Hyunjin a second to snap out of her own stupor when she first came across the woman.

“Half,” The blonde gave a bit of a grimace, her lips edging up like that of a smile. She cleared her throat. “I’m Chaewon, by the way.”

"Yerim," She grinned, her eyes squinting into crescents, the unabashed image of innocence. Yeojin stood beside Yerim, her gaze lingering on the fae woman.

“Pretty,” Yeojin’s voice sounded slurred like she’d chugged down a mug of beer. Yerim snapped her fingers in front of her face, muttering something. Yeojin’s eyes comically went into focus again, and she grew red. Hyunjin snorted.

"That's Yeojin, and Heejin— " Hyunjin’s gaze fell to Heejin, whose eyes were a bit glazed, attached to the radiant woman. Hyunjin felt a pit settle in her stomach at the sight.

“Hey,” Her hand went to Heejin’s shoulder, shaking her a bit. The shorter woman blinked hard, her cheeks flushed. She ran a hand down her face, shaking her head confusedly.

“Sorry, it’s hard for me to turn off sometimes,” Chaewon grew bashful.

“It’s okay, it’s only in your nature,” Yerim, ever the optimist, reassured her.

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin spoke quietly, getting a mumbled _“Fine,”_ back. Hyunjin frowned.

“Looking for Hyejoo again?” Chaewon addressed Hyunjin, a hand idly patting at Gureumie’s head. Hyunjin nodded. “Another favor so soon? Hyejoo’s gonna be annoyed with you,” Chaewon giggled airily— Hyunjin watched as Heejin’s eyes fell to the fae’s brilliant smile. Hyunjin grit her teeth, tugging at Heejin’s sleeve, pulling her from her stupor, a confused look on her face. Hyunjin turned away.

“I know,” She sighed. Chaewon sent her an amused grin, nodding over her shoulder.

“Alright, c’mon, Hyejoo should be making lunch by now.”

Chaewon led them through the woods with ease, reading the paths as if they were the back of her hand. Hyunjin supposed this was expected of a fae, whose relations with nature were like that of their own kin. Nature spoke to them, and while she wasn’t sure that Chaewon could talk to the surrounding trees, it looked like she’d never have any issue getting lost around here.

Yerim was excitedly asking the short girl questions, Yeojin piping in now and then (though her attention was more so captured by Gureumie), as Heejin and Hyunjin followed. Hyunjin felt an itch, something in the back of her brain, just making noise endlessly, like when Yerim and Yeojin got their hands on those firecrackers and just wouldn’t let up (Hyunjin eventually threatened them with death, which, of course, didn’t make them stop). It really didn’t seem like a choice when she finally let those words slip from her mouth, tongue just a bit sharp. 

“Might wanna wipe your drool,” Heejin’s eyes snapped back from Chaewon to Hyunjin again, her cheeks ruddy.

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Nothing,” She shrugged. “Chaewon’s pretty, huh?”  
“I mean— sure she’s pretty, I mean, she’s a fae after all,”

“Sure.”

“She's not my type anyway,” Heejin muttered. They fell into a momentary silence that burned at Hyunjin’s brain. Damn firecrackers. “You?”

“Not really…” Hyunjin cleared her throat. A mischievous smirk edged onto her face. “What _is_ Heekie's type then? Chivalrous knight?” Hyunjin teased (no she wasn’t letting that nickname go, ever), bumping her shoulder against Heejin’s own.

The atmosphere cleared, and Hyunjin could finally breathe. Though, her breathing immediately seized when she heard Heejin chuckle— that deep, warm sound that Hyunjin’s grown so familiar with— and glanced Hyunjin’s way, biting her lip. Hyunjin’s heart fell into her stomach, or maybe straight through to the ground, too heavy for her to carry around.

“Something like that.”

Finally, having arrived at Chaewon and Hyejoo’s house, Yeojin blurted, “What, is there like a secret dungeon inside or something?” Hyunjin chortled, watching as Yerim chastised Yeojin.

She couldn’t blame her. Of all places, no one ever expected the woman that was surrounded by legends about eating people, and bathing in blood to be living in a cottage. It was cozy and well-kempt, with light grey smoke billowing from the chimney.

Before they could enter the door opened. Gureumie barked happily, rushing to the figure that now stood in the entranceway. Hyunjin felt a smile stretch at the sight of the young woman, still mopey looking in her dark clothes.

“Um, hello?” She spoke, her voice monotone. Her eyes landed on Hyunjin, an unspoken question in her eyes.

“ _You’re_ Hyejoo?” Yeojin’s eyes swept over Hyejoo’s figure critically. “I was expecting more leather,” She rubbed her fingers against her chin in thought. Hyejoo raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

“I might need another favor,” Hyunjin spoke with a slight grimace.

“It’s not another dragon, is it?”

“Wait, _you’re_ the friend that helped Hyunjin save me from that tower?” Heejin’s eyes flit between Hyunjin and Hyejoo. Hyunjin could almost see the gears turning in Heejin’s head. Yerim and Yeojin both let out noises of surprise, eyes on the woman in the doorway.

“Uh, yeah,” Hyejoo lamely explained.

“Alright, this is getting awkward, come in,” Chaewon spoke, shoving her way inside with Gureumieat her heels. “I’ll help you serve the food,” She gestured to Hyejoo.

“Dude, you can talk to dragons?” Yeojin broke the brief silence. 

Hyunjin followed Chaewon and Hyejoo into the kitchen, leaving the others in the front room. Hyejoo took her place in front of a cutting board, doing her absolute best to slice a tomato. It resembled more of a mush now, the seeds having spilled out the sides, the peel sad and sallow. Hyunjin wasn’t sure how someone so proficient at sword fighting couldn’t slice a vegetable to save her life.

“Need help there?” Hyejoo rolled her eyes at Hyunjin. Chaewon swooped in, snatching the knife away from the taller woman.

“Grab the bread?” She signaled to Hyejoo, who nodded.

“It’s nice seeing you again,” Hyejoo spoke to Hyunjin, mirth playing behind her eyes. Sometimes, Hyunjin was weirded out by how alike Chaewon and Hyejoo could be sometimes. She supposed it came with the territory.

“How could I not visit my two favorite people?”

“Oh, yeah, speaking of, apparently Sooyoung says ‘Hi’,” Chaewon spoke with a grin, chuckling as her girlfriend’s face became vexed.

“Ah. She even manages to annoy me when I’m _not_ physically around her,” She sighed. “So, you visited her and Jiwoo?”

“Yeah, how in the hell did you know about them before _I_ did!?” Hyunjin complained.

“Jungeun tells Sol everything,” Hyejoo gave the same disinterested shrug that Chaewon had given her.

“I’m the only one who didn’t know!? That’s not fair,” Hyunjin pouted.

“Well, you didn’t tell us about you and the princess over there,” Hyejoo shot back. Chaewon’s titters filtered through the air, as Hyunjin felt her cheeks turn red.

“We’re not—whatever,”

“Just saying, Jinsol’s gonna be sad if you don’t send out wedding invitations,” Hyejoo and Chaewon shared a high five.

“I hate you both.”

“I thought we were your _two favorite people_?” Hyejoo gave her an innocent smile. Hyunjin prayed to get through the night.

When Hyunjin explained the situation to Hyejoo over lunch, she was expecting a chuckle, like a watered-down version of Sooyoung’s reaction. Maybe an eye roll, but instead, she was met with a grimace.

“What?” Hyunjin turned to Chaewon, who sat next to Hyejoo, munching at one of the sandwiches Hyejoo made. “What does that face mean?” Chaewon shrugged.

“Magic,” She spoke around the food in her mouth. Hyejoo nodded.

“You’d be better off finding a witch to help you with that.”

“Wait, what?” Hyunjin’s eyes flit to the other members of her group, all engrossed in the conversation, looking just as lost as Hyunjin.

“Well, it’d just be easier on you guys,” Hyejoo ripped a piece of meat from her sandwich, throwing it over to Gureumie, who ate it with enthusiasm. “A witch would be able to track down the crystal— just makes the process quicker.”

“Oh, I like what she’s saying,” Yeojin spoke to Hyunjin, pointing at Hyejoo.

“Seriously? We have to find a witch now?” Hyunjin muttered.

“We know one actually,” Chaewon’s smile was smug.

“A _credible_ one?”

“Yeah, we met a witch through Sooyoung once,” Yerim spoke, shuddering. “Sunmi was...something else.”

“I don’t think she was a real witch,” Yeojin murmured.

“Uh, anyway,” Chaewon eyed the younger duo. “Yeah, a credible witch, she’s really good at what she does.” Hyunjin turned to the other three, a silent question in her eyes.

“Why not? We’re already out here,” Heejin shrugged. Yerim nodded.

“As long as it’s not one of Sooyoung’s shady witches, we’re in.”

Hyunjin found herself out on the porch with Heejin. It wasn’t a conscious decision on Hyunjin’s part. Seeing Heejin leave to get some air, Hyunjin naturally followed. Maybe it was overprotectiveness, what she was protecting Heejin from, she wasn’t exactly sure. It was getting dark out though, so she attributed the sort of buzzing in her veins to the idea of creatures, waiting in the dark. They sat, side by side, feet barely sweeping the ground below them.

“So, Hyejoo can...talk to animals?” Heejin suddenly spoke, breaking the calm silence that fell between them. Hyunjin nodded. There was a pause. A low chuckle fell from Heejin’s lips. “That seems like something you’d do,” Hyunjin felt a warmth ooze through her body, settling in her stomach.

“What does?”

“Getting an animal whisperer to talk the dragon down instead of fighting him on your own,” Heejin’s grin was cheeky.

“ _Her_. The dragon was a female,” Hyunjin remembered Hyejoo shooting her a glare when she’d wrongly assumed the dragon’s gender, though, Hyunjin wasn’t entirely sure how the hell she was supposed to know _that_. It was Jinsol’s problem now though. They’d managed to (precariously) drop the creature off to Jinsol, who basically ran a zoo with the number of exotic animals in her care.

“And so many people died trying to get to that tower, so, it was the obvious route,” Hyunjin finished.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was her?”

“I didn’t think name dropping was really necessary.”

“It would’ve been nice to know that I was meeting her so I could properly say thanks. Plus, she’s one of your friends!” The pout on her face was cute. Hyunjin’s eyes lingered on the protruding lip, looking away quickly.

“I guess,” Hyunjin shrugged. “Hyejoo doesn’t really like recognition anyway. She said if I did end up with the cash, not to mention her,” Though, of course, Hyunjin _didn’t_ end up with the cash.

It was a huge prize too. The amount of zeroes on that flyer (the royals were desperate enough to let low life bounty hunters like Hyunjin step in to help) had people from all over attempting to save Princess Heejin. If anyone knew, they’d probably strangle Hyunjin— she understood why though, no hard feelings there. It’d be hard to get someone to understand why seeing Heejin in her tattered dress, her confidence unwavering even after being in captivity for months, made Hyunjin not want to take any sort of “prize” in return.

“Yeah, I guess,” Heejin murmured. Another beat passed and Hyunjin’s shoulder was unexpectedly bumped by Heejin’s. She had a smile on her face, as she spoke, “You’re funny, you know that?”

“What?” Heejin only shook her head in response with a cute giggle, soft smile playing on the edges of her lips. Hyunjin warmed.

Hyunjin had been called many things, but funny wasn’t necessarily on that list. Not that she wasn’t funny. It’s just, certain things take precedent, like how scary she is with a sword, or how stoic she acts, or even how rude she comes across because she can’t seem to keep her mouth shut about how she feels (most of the time anyway).

“It’s my face, right?” Heejin tilted her head at Hyunjin’s question. Hyunjin expanded, “I’ve been told that I have a tendency to make weird faces,” Hyunjin mimed one, eyes wide like she was affronted. Heejin guffawed, hands covering the deep bellied laughs that fell from her lips. She rubbed an eye, grin wide— Hyunjin mirrored it with her own.

“Cute,” Heejin spoke quietly. Hyunjin was silenced by that one word, shoving down anything stupid that would’ve otherwise escaped her mouth. Instead, a bashful, close-lipped smile took its place, cheeks red.

They allowed that familiar silence to stretch between them. Hyunjin could hear the soft breeze fall on the dry leaves, strewn across the ground, scratching against dirt. The clean smell of the foliage, cutting through everything else, an undercurrent of that flowery smell that lingered on Heejin, even after the long day they’d endured. Heejin’s warm hand took Hyunjin’s own, slightly cold one, threading their fingers together and Hyunjin just breathed.

Apparently there _was_ elevated succubus activity in the woods (Sooyoung was right for once, go figure), which was a no go for everyone, except for Chaewon. A succubus wouldn’t dare prey on a fae, even if they were a halfbreed. As a result, they invited the group to stay the night, with Hyejoo muttering something about not wanting “ _these idiots dying_ _on my land_ ”, which was Hyejoo’s way of expressing emotion, so, of course, Hyunjin forced her into a hug after. She was promptly shoved away, but the annoyed squealing was worth it.

Hyunjin was getting ready for bed when Chaewon approached her. She’d opted for the living room this time around, leaving the bed to Heejin and Yerim. Yeojin already laid on the floor next to her, already passed out cold.

“Wanna come outside with me?” Hyunjin tilted her head in question, but nodded anyway, following Chaewon into their backyard.

Gureumie ran laps, his jaws snapping at the fireflies that flit in the cool air of the night. Chaewon spoke first.

“I wasn’t expecting the princess to be with you.”

“Ah, yeah, that was unplanned,” Gureumie let out a bark, causing Chaewon to quietly shush him.

“Yeah? You two seem to get on pretty well,” Hyunjin turned to see a smug smile on Chaewon’s lips. Hyunjin groaned.

“Not you too.”

“I’m just teasing Hyun,” Hyunjin frowned.

“She just wanted to help.”

“Well...she likes you too,” Chaewon spoke confidently, and Hyunjin knew better than to argue with her over that. Chaewon could still read people’s auras, even if it wasn’t as clear as other fae. “She’s a good person,” Hyunjin felt an odd sense of pride swell in her chest because, yeah, Heejin was a good person. A really good person.

“I mean, anyone who can put up with you is a saint,” Chaewon finished. Hyunjin let out a grunt of annoyance, shoving Chaewon. Gureumie barked, jumping at Hyunjin, his weight throwing her to the ground. Chaewon snorted, watching Hyunjin floundering on the ground, no doubt.

“Alright, hang on, big baby,” She mocked, helping Hyunjin up.

“I…” Hyunjin paused, biting her lip. Her eyes went to the house, like if she stared hard enough she could see Heejin sleeping in bed. Longing flooded through her. “Really?” Was all Hyunjin was able to verbalize. She could see Heejin’s bright eyes, her brazen smile that came so easily. Hyunjin was never that great at emoting herself, never as good as Heejin, who let herself feel things without a hitch. Never as good as Heejin who let herself do whatever she wanted to, whatever felt right.

“Of course,” Chaewon crossed her arms. “Stop doing that,” She sighed.

“I’m not doing anything,” Hyunjin muttered, refusing to look Chaewon’s way. When she caught her gaze, Chaewon narrowed her eyes.

“I’m gonna sic Gureumie on you,”

“WAIT NO—!” Hyunjin barely got a headstart before Gureumie pounced.

Chaewon’s loud laughs rang through the night.

Hyunjin wasn’t exactly awakened, you can’t really wake someone who wasn’t sleeping in the first place. Though, she _was_ jarred from her extremely engaging activity of counting how many times Yeojin shifted in her sleep (it was a lot), by the distinct sound of scratching. She rolled out of her and Yeojin’s makeshift bed on the floor, hand grabbing for her sword, as she went to investigate the noise.

Gureumie sat at the backdoor, whining.

“What’s up?” Hyunjin looked out the window and was met with nothing. The garden looked the same as it did hours ago when she and Chaewon talked. Hyunjin raised a brow when Gureumie whined again. “Alright,” Before she could properly open the door, Gureumie forced his way out, squeezing through the small gap.

“Hey!” Hyunjin whisper-yelled, but Gureumie was gone, leaping over the fence. She whipped her head back to the house, eyes flitting for any sleepy-eyed figures stumbling through the hall, but she was met with silence. She softly closed the door behind herself, and jumped off the porch, following after Gureumie.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck— Gureumie!” She shouted, hoping for the void to speak back. It didn’t. The trees looked much more sinister in the dead night, their branches like limbs, reaching out for Hyunjin.

She didn’t know where she was going. She knew she was doomed the moment she stepped into the tree line, she got lost in broad daylight for fuck’s sake, of course she’s lost now. She turned, hoping to see some sort of path back to the cottage, but darkness only prevailed, impossible to see through its shroud.

Hyunjin walked deeper into the woods. One would think that the sounds would just grow louder, washing over you in a white noise. The crickets, the occasional owl, squirrels scurrying up the trunks of trees. But suddenly, those noises stopped. It was like a blanket had fallen over the night— over _Hyunjin_ , suffocating her. She felt anxiety swirl in her gut.

She moved, just a shift of weight, the leaves crunching below her, stopping at a sudden sound. She listened, a white-knuckled grip on her sword.

And there it was— the subtle low growls that sounded more evil than anything Hyunjin had heard come from Gureumie before. It made her blood turn to ice.

“Gureumie…” She whispered, edging closer to the sound.

“I wouldn’t,” Hyunjin spun on her heel, her sword automatically coming up in a defensive position, covering her torso. “Oh...you’re a cute one,” The woman stepped away from the tree that partially hid her. She was naked, pale, creamy skin that was unblemished, and black hair that snaked down her torso to her navel. Hyunjin swallowed.

“Stop,” Hyunjin voiced, but the woman only edged closer. “ _Stop_ ,” She tried to harden her voice, but it fell quiet, drowned out by the woman’s presence.

The woman, the _creature_ , placed a cold hand upon Hyunjin’s shoulder, a wicked grin on her face. Hyunjin felt her muscles droop. Her sword swung down, the point slicing against the dirt ground, only held by her limp grip.

“What’s a fair maiden like you doing in the woods alone?” It skid sharp nails across Hyunjin’s cheek. The temptress edged forward, its breath reeking of iron. Hyunjin grit her teeth, willing her mouth to open, something, _anything_ , if she could spit at the creature she would be satisfied, but she was stuck, still, a statue.

“Oh baby,” It cooed. “I’ll take care of you,” She moved, slotting blue lips with Hyunjin’s. The hand that cupped her cheek slid down to her neck, the nails scratching, burrowing into the skin there. Hyunjin let out a whimper. The succubus pulled back, its eyes an eerie yellow, irises now slit.

“Stay still for me,” Its hand slid down Hyunjin’s body, finding the hem of her shirt and crawling up. Hyunjin’s abdomen twitched at the ice-cold of its hands, contrasting against the hot streaks it carved into her skin. Searing pain shot through Hyunjin, and she watched as its other hand slowly began its ascent, the nails pulling from its nail beds, into sharp knives, rearing back to drive through Hyunjin— 

Then, a sharp _snap_.

Hyunjin knew that sound well. Her head followed the whisper of an arrow as it flew through the air, too fast for her eyes to catch, and watched as it buried itself into another succubus’ head. Black ink spilled from the wound, and its body hit the floor with a heavy _thump._

Her eyes widened, now aware of the several figures that now surrounded her, the sludge that invaded her mind was gone.

An inhuman screech pulled her eyes forward again, the creature shoved sharp talons into her waist, where she had settled her hand, pulling a cry from Hyunjin, who swung her sword in retaliation. It leapt back, the wound stretched from its wrist to mid-forearm, where that same inky blood wept through. The temptress’ once pleasant face twisted into a sneer, its fangs poking out from behind her lips, sharp daggers.

Hyunjin was somewhat aware of the several arrows that flew about her, piercing the other succubi, evident from their inhuman cries. Hyejoo was good, no, inhumanly good, with a bow and arrow, and Hyunjin would never forget that, especially not after this moment. In her peripheral, she’d caught Chaewon’s soft, white nightdress flit to where Hyunjin had last seen Gureumie.

“Hyunjin!” The succubus hissed, eyes falling on Heejin. She stood, Hyejoo’s sword in hand, black stains on the fabric of her nightdress, and succubus dead at her feet.

Hyunjin felt like throwing up.

She moved before she could think, surging forward and tackling the succubus, one thought flitting through her head, just _Heejin, Heejin, Heejin_.

She shoved her elbow in the creature’s throat, frantic pants burning at her throat.

_Heejin, Heejin, Heejin._

The succubus growled, nails slicing at Hyunjin, cutting through the flimsy nightshirt. Hyunjin’s muscles moved fluidly as she swung her sword, chopping down, the heavy metal bouncing against the ground from the force. A sick sense of satisfaction warmed her when its head fell from her neck.

Suddenly, she was thrown back, the air pulled from her lungs, weapon falling from her hand. The heavy body of another temptress pinned her down, those fangs shining at her, reflecting the pale moonlight. She shoved at its face, her knee coming up to dig into its stomach, which seemed to stun it enough for Hyunjin to roll away. She recovered, stumbling to her feet, eyes searching for her sword.

Her gaze swept up— up to Hyejoo, her arrows flying with endless precision, Chaewon beside her, who now held Gureumie, none of the succubi dared to near her, and Heejin. _Heejin_ who stood in the middle of the chaos, shoving down a succubus and piercing it with metal, tainted with black. Her chest heaved and she looked up, a lock of hair falling into her eyes, eyes that widened at the sight of Hyunjin. She watched Heejin’s feet swivel, turning, leaves, and soil ground beneath her, as she moved towards her, just a step.

“MOVE—!”

Hyunjin crumbled to the ground yet again (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately), the pale creature above her which— hadn’t she just gotten rid of that thing? And maybe she was a little slow today, a little off— she still hadn’t found her sword. But she watched, helplessly, as it swung its arm, those talons on display, arcing through the air— 

Her eyes closed of their own volition.

A screech pulled her back. The muscles in the succubus’ face drooped above her, black ink falling from its mouth, dripping on her chest, its own torn open, the point of a sword just edging through.

Her eyes slid shut again.

Hyunjin was acutely aware of warmth, wetness, pooling in her abdomen. She looked up, met with the dark night sky, where stars that she hadn't noticed before, danced. She squirmed, groaning at the pain that paralyzed her, scolding her to stay still.

“Oh my god, Hyunjin,” Her eyes deliriously wandered, clocking Hyejoo jogging forward, and maybe that was Chaewon behind her, but that wasn’t who she was looking for. She closed her eyes again.

“Please, please,” She tried again, lolling her head to the right, and a different kind of pain burrowed in her chest at the sight of Heejin, kneeling in the dirt beside her. She knew that the gravel was digging against Heejin’s knees unpleasantly.

“Heek—?” Something was blocking her throat. She coughed, the motion making her gasp for air that she just couldn’t make room for. Warm liquid spilled down her cheek, glossing over her lips, and she watched as Heejin crawled closer to her, wide, tear-filled eyes hovering over her own face, a warm hand swiping over her cheek. She looked away. Hyunjin blinked, her eyelids heavy. But all she knew was that she just wanted Heejin to keep looking at her. She _needed_ her to keep looking at her.

 _“Chae knows what she’s doing—”_ _  
_

_“She’s fucking dying!”_

_“It’s okay, it’s alright, just—”_ _  
_

_“She’s gonna be okay—”_

Hyunjin raised a heavy hand, reaching, just feeling for something, _anything_.

She opened her eyes to the feeling of warmth sliding into her grasp. Heejin’s own blood-stained digits covered hers. She looked up again to see Heejin’s watery smile one last time before she slid her eyes shut again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you love some sweet, sweet angst?
> 
> A little note: So, I know that Olivia actually likes cooking irl, but I put that part in about her inefficiency with the knife because I thought it was cute, lol. Though, I suppose that just because she sucks at cutting tomatoes doesn’t exactly mean she sucks at cooking.
> 
> Btw, how'd you like that cameo of Olivia's dog? I made him into a big scary wolf, lmao.
> 
> Anyway! Let me know how you enjoyed this chapter! Tell me if you had a favorite part or anything!


	5. Complications With Love (Oh and There's a Witch Too)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin's face was wet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see...heh. Sorry for the wait, it's been hard for me to write lately, but hopefully I've overcome that odd writer's block!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the update!

Hyunjin’s face was wet.

Her eyes flew open and she pulled away from Gereumie, who stood next to the bed, excitedly lapping at her face. She shoved at him with a groan.

_“ Why_ _?”_ She frowned. She stopped still at the sound and feeling of another person shuffling beside her. Another person. Another person in the same bed as her.

Hyunjin slowly turned, her eyes nearly popping out of her head at the sight of Heejin laying beside her. She stared— stared at the way that her lips were just a little pouted, her eyebrows scrunched a bit in the middle. Maybe she would’ve kept staring (she would’ve), but Gureumie broke her from her trance with a loud bark. Heejin’s eyes fluttered open (she made even _that_ look enchanting) and when she caught Hyunjin’s stare, her lips fell into an easy smile.

Suddenly, her face dropped, eyes widening, and she sat up, her hands going to Hyunjin’s face.

“Oh my god, Hyunjin,” She breathed out.

And all Hyunjin could see was Heejin in that nightdress, stained with black, holding onto her bloody hand, crying.

“I—” Hyunjin tried, but stopped as Heejin broke into an abrupt sob. Her body crumpled into Hyunjin’s, whose first instinct was to hold her. Her body felt frail like this, not like the Heejin whose personality was too big for her body. She couldn’t even see her face, now that it was buried in the crook of her neck, warm tears wetting the skin and fabric of her shirt. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, that she couldn’t see the way that Heejin’s mouth was downturned, her eyes red, tears trailing down her cheeks. Hyunjin rubbed Heejin’s back, waiting for the stretching of her ribs to move in a more even manner.

“I don’t know what’s happening…” Hyunjin whispered into her hair. Heejin cleared her throat and pulled away. Hyunjin pulled the sleeve of her shirt (another one of Hyejoo’s, she noticed) over her hand and dabbed at the tear tracks that littered the smaller woman’s face. Her hand wandered up to move a stray hair from where it stuck on Heejin’s cheek, gently placing it behind her ear. She let her hand linger, dragging it down her cheek to her jawline. She meant to let it fall away, but Heejin caught it, holding it in place.

“You— uh,” Her voice broke again. She rubbed at her eyes. “You were hurt…” Her eyes fall to Hyunjin’s abdomen before flickering up again. “Do you remember?”

“Sort of? It’s coming back,” Heejin nodded. Hyunjin watched her features carefully, the way her hand tightened its grip on Hyunjin’s, how her eyes started to well up again. “Are you okay?”

“Me?” Heejin sniffled, a sardonic chuckle falling from her lips. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Hyunjin frowned. She swiped her thumb across Heejin’s cheek.

“It’s alright, everything’s fine,” She felt her heart squeeze painfully when a small sob escaped Heejin’s lips as she shook her head. Her gaze fell from Hyunjin’s.

They sat, sharing the silence. The quiet adhered to Hyunjin like an uncomfortable static, buzzing against her ears.

Hyunjin clenched at the fabric of her pajama pants when Heejin looked up at her again. Something about the way her red-rimmed eyes bored through her, holding her gaze hostage, made her feel on fire. Heejin grabbed a hold of her shirt, pulling at the fabric. She bit her lip— plump and pink.

Hyunjin’s heart seemed to lose its rhythm when Heejin started leaning closer.

Her mind was muddled. Her ears were full of the white noise that spread through the room, only filled by their breathing. Her own was quiet while Heejin’s was hitched. Hyunjin’s eyes stayed, submissively holding Heejin’s own, falling into their curious, hesitancy. Her nose was filled with the familiar scent of flowers, sweet and fragrant.

And Heejin was close now. Hyunjin’s eyes flickered down to her lips.

“I want…” Heejin murmured, stopping short. Hyunjin nodded, egging her on. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was nodding for, she didn’t know the exact words that Heejin was thinking, maybe she did, all she knew was that she wanted it too, whatever Heejin wanted.

Heejin leaned closer, her hand now splayed against Hyunjin’s torso and—

Hyunjin let out a sharp breath, making Heejin jerk away from her. Before Hyunjin could raise a question, Heejin spoke, rushed, and panicked.

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry, are you okay? Chae said you’d still be sore—!”

“What—? I’m fine!” Hyunjin waved her hands.

“Where does it hurt? Oh my god, are you bleeding? Is that blood!? Hyunjin—” Hyunjin’s hands went to her own abdomen, pulling away, wet and stained with red.

“Fuck,” Hyunjin muttered. Curiosity getting the best of her, she tugged her shirt up met with an angry-looking and newly opened gash, the surrounding skin painted an array of purples and blues. Heejin’s hands followed shortly after, the tips of her fingers just barely caressing the throbbing skin.

“I’m fine—” Hyunjin sputtered, trying to pull the cloth down, a blush quickly spreading to her cheeks.

“Hang on, I’m getting Chae!” Heejin stumbled off the bed and slammed the door open, sprinting out of the room.

Hyunjin stared at the door in disbelief. In her stupor, two heads poked out the side of the door frame.

“HYUNJIN!” Yeojin was the first to run into the room. She nearly jumped atop Hyunjin, but Hyunjin’s quick _‘Wait!’_ stopped her just in time. She flopped next to her, with Yerim following after, their concerned faces nearly mirror images of each other as they inspected the older woman.

Hyunjin displayed her hands, still splotched with blood.

“I’m bleeding, I don’t want to—”

“Oh my god, you’re dying! I’m gonna get the fairy lady!” Yeojin tried to jump off the bed but was intercepted by Hyunjin and Yerim grabbing her by the ankles. She flopped on her stomach with an _‘oomph’._

“Heejin’s already grabbing them,” Hyunjin explained.

“Are you okay?” Yerim’s eyes lingered on her torso, where the fabric was just a bit darker.

“Yeah! We thought you were dead! I mean, Sooyoung said that—”

“Yeojin…” Yerim chastised, rolling her eyes.

“I mean, I’m just happy you’re alive!” The blonde exclaimed, a shaky smile edging onto her face.

“Me too,” Yerim’s hand was gentle when it landed on Hyunjin’s arm, a small squeeze showing her affection. “We were gonna go too—”

“I even grabbed my explosive potions!” Hyunjin raised a brow at this, but Yerim completely steamrolled over her, continuing.

“But Hyejoo and Chaewon said to stay back,” They both wore frowns.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna listen to them, but Heejin’s scary, so…” Hyunjin snorted, patting Yeojin’s head, and coaxing them into a cautious hug, keeping her wound away from the both of them.

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t have wanted you out there anyway,” Yerim and Yeojin out in those woods with those succubi? Hyunjin preferred nearly dying over that option.

Hyunjin let out a contented sigh. The pain had ebbed away, into a manageable throb. She wouldn’t have wanted the girls to stop their embrace anyway.

“Hyunjin?” The woman in question raised her head to see Chaewon in the doorway with a sleepy Hyejoo behind her.

“Heejin said you were dying,” The taller woman spoke, a hint of humor in her monotone voice.

“She’s still hurt,” Heejin edged into the room, concern in her eyes as she regarded Hyunjin. Chaewon made her way over to the bed, ushering Yerim and Yeojin off of the woman.

“Alright, let’s see,” She pulled Hyunjin’s shirt off, inspecting the exposed skin. Hyunjin hissed when she prodded at it, stretching it.

“It was worse last night,” Chaewon spoke.

“Yeah, there was enough blood to feed, like, a hundred vampires probably,” Yeojin’s brows were raised as she “measured” the amount with her hands, holding them away from her body. Yerim slapped an arm down.

“Yeojin, _really_ not the time right now,” Yerim rolled her eyes. The duo’s gaze simultaneously fell to the Heejin, who still stood by the doorway, far from the bed. Hyunjin cleared her throat.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Chaewon laid a hand against her rib, and Hyunjin could already feel the familiar warmth that emanated from her palm. “You haven’t lost your touch,” Hyunjin grinned. Chaewon rolled her eyes.

“I have to heal Hyejoo far more often than I’m comfortable with.”

Hyunjin watched Hyejoo, who settled next to Chaewon on the bed, lay a hand against Chaewon’s arm. “Sorry,” She murmured.

“It comes with the job,” Chaewon shrugged, giving Hyejoo a thin smile.

“Doesn’t make it easier,” Hyunjin spoke. Her eyes flickered up, looking for one specific pair across the room. Heejin was already looking at her.

No, it didn’t make it easier.

The four followed as Chaewon and Hyejoo led them through the woods. Gereumie ran laps around the group, sometimes straying off the path and coming back with a branch or some other miscellaneous object. (Hyunjin wasn’t sure how people are low energy as Chaewon and Hyejoo could keep Gereumie around.)

Despite Heejin’s insistence that they stay back for Hyunjin, Hyunjin, apparently being stubborn enough to rival Heejin, managed to convince her otherwise (that is, if “convincing her” meant that Heejin still disagreed with the group’s decision and didn’t talk the entire duration of the trek).

So, as a result, Hyunjin spent most of the walk idly staring at trees, sometimes at Yerim and Yeojin when arguments broke out (because they always did and they were pretty amusing). She was broken out of her reverie when Heejin pulled at her sleeve. She’d forgone the cloak— the humidity of the woods weighed on her skin uncomfortably enough without the fabric’s assistance, leaving her in a faded, yellow tunic. A bit bright for a mercenary, as Sooyoung would always say (not that she cares about what Sooyoung thinks).

Wordlessly, Heejin offered Hyunijn an apple slice. Hyunjin gave her a grateful smile that fell when it was unreturned. Her stomach had been complaining since they’d set out, even though they’d eaten this morning. Chaewon’s healing seemed to always be paired with a huge appetite, in Hyunjin’s experience.

Hyunjin had been handed her fourth consecutive apple slice when her ears perked at Hyejoo’s voice.

“Here?”

“Yep,” The couple stopped in the middle of a small clearing, just a short distance of space between trees. It wouldn’t have looked off to Hyunjin if it were just her in the woods, but the way that the couple stared into the area made her think otherwise.

“...are we here?” Heejin spoke. Chaewon hummed an affirmative.

“I don’t see anything,” Yeojin’s voice was exasperated, her eyes restlessly darting around.

“You’re not supposed to,” Hyejoo grumbled, stepping forward.

“That’s ominous.”

Just in that moment, Hyejoo took another step before disappearing into thin air. Yeojin let out a shriek. Heejin jumped, her hand immediately going to Hyunjin’s arm. Hyunjin and Heejin’s eyes locked for a moment before breaking away. To Hyunjin’s surprise, her hand didn’t leave her arm, and Hyunjin relished in the warmth that radiated from her touch. 

“C’mon,” Chaewon sent them a cheeky grin, before moving forward with Gereumie, both disappearing into the void. Hyunjin watched wide-eyed but wasn’t able to process everything quite yet when Heejin dragged her forward.

“Uh, wait, I kind of—” Hyunjin felt a weird pressure, weighing on all sides of her body, like a shirt that fit a bit too tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath out of pure reflex.

“Hyun?” Her eyes snapped open, air coming back to her at the sight of Heejin again.

“You alright?” Chaewon spoke, her eyes flitted to Heejin’s hand on Hyunjin’s arm, and Hyunjin watched her eyebrow raise. Hyunjin flushed.

“...fine,” She squeaked. The youngest two managed to stumble in just after them, effectively taking everyone’s attention away as they managed to barrel into Hyunjin and Heejin.

They were still in the clearing, but not really. Instead of the trees that surrounded them, there was now a clear pathway, leading all the way to a house. Hyejoo, Chaewon, and Gureumie confidently led them forward, and Hyunjin’s adrenaline spiked a little as she watched Hyejoo casually push the door open. It smelt like cinnamon and pine inside, the scent filling Hyunjin’s lungs pleasantly.

“Kahei?” Hyejoo called out. The house nearly had an echo, it was so quiet. It looked much like Chaewon’s and Hyejoo’s did, the kitchen in the corner, the front room sectioned away, a nice table in the dining room. The colors were a bit brighter here, with specks of greens and blues, even some pinks in the decor. Hyunjin might’ve zoned out, appreciating the interior design, because her attention was suddenly pulled away by an unfamiliar voice.

“Oh hey!” Hyunjin shrieked, the noise mirrored by the rest of the group, save for Hyejoo and Chaewon, as a figure appeared out of thin air next to them.

“What in the fuck!?” Yeojin yelled, her hands grabbing at Hyunjin, though they landed directly on Hyunjin’s side. Hyunjin hissed, pushing her away out of instinct, making Yeojin fall on the nearest person— Hyejoo.

Hyejoo already had her arm outstretched, hand splayed open to catch Yeojin by her forehead. Yeojin hovered, Hyejoo’s hand the only thing keeping her from landing directly on the floor, face-first.

“Don’t touch me,” Hyejoo glowered at her, pushing Yeojin away. Yeojin stumbled back into Yerim, who _actually_ caught her, wrapping her hands around her sides.

“I didn’t do anything!”

Heejin shifted beside Hyunjin, a soft touch landing on her, now aching, side. “Okay?” She asked quietly, soft brown eyes peering up into Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin nodded, swallowing. Her fingers smoothed over the edges of the bandage that Chaewon had applied earlier, just for a moment before it was gone. Hyunjin grabbed her hand before it fell too far away, not wanting to let the warmth leave just yet.

“Haseul, good to see you,” Chaewon continued. Hyunjin finally managed to calm down enough to take a good look at the woman. She was shorter than her, her dark brown hair styled in a long bob, and a smile wide enough to make her eyes crinkle into crescents. She looked sweet. But a lot of that was overshadowed by the fact that she was...sort of transparent. “Where’s Kahei?”

“Just in the back,” Haseul pointed over her shoulder, gesturing for them to follow.

“Ghost?” Hyunjin blurted. “Are you…?” Haseul tilted her head, chuckling.

“Yeah.”

“Ah.”

“I’ve never met a ghost before,” Heejin spoke, a line of excitement under her tone.

“Well, now you have!” Haseul beamed.

“Great,” Yeojin grumbled beside them.

The “backroom” was a bit different compared to the rest of the house. For one, they’d all entered through one door, that led to an impossibly spacious room. A large pentagram was stenciled out in the middle of the wood floor with melted, though currently unlit, candles that sat at every point of the shape. That, along with the intimidating glass bottles filled with unknown liquids that lined the shelves, and the bubbling cauldron in the corner, had Hyunjin wanting to back out of the room.

Kahei had soft pink hair, round cheeks, and was doe-eyed. She greeted them with a smile and squeezed Chaewon and Hyejoo into a tight embrace. They quickly settled into explaining the situation to the witch.

“Ah,” Kahei murmured thoughtfully. “Yeah, I can throw a locator spell out there. If that gemstone is as powerful as you say it is, it’ll be easy to locate.”

“Oh, thank god,” Hyunjin sighed.

“Just leave it to me, it’ll take a second to conjure,” Kahei already started gathering items and setting them in the pentagram with Haseul’s help. She glanced up, probably catching the uncomfortable look on Hyunjin’s face.

“You can wait in the living room if you’d like,” Kahei spoke, an amused smirk on her face. Hyunjin didn’t even have the gall to feel embarrassed.

“Good idea,” Hyunjin gave her a thumbs up and a wink, which she immediately regretted and left with Heejin in tow, Hyejoo following. Of course, Yeojin and Yerim stayed to watch the process, and Chaewon (and Gereumie, who was basically constantly glued to Chaewon’s side) stayed to chat with the witch and ghost.

“Isn’t Gereumie _yours_?” Hyunjin teased, as they left the room. Hyejoo rolled her eyes.

“He prefers Chae.”

“It’s kind of cute,” Heejin smiled. Their expressions prompted her to explain further, “How much you both like Chaewon!” Hyunjin’s not sure she’s seen Hyejoo’s cheeks burn such a bright red before.

They sat in Haseul and Kahei’s small living room. Hyunjin and Heejin sat at the short couch that was pushed against the wall, near the brick fireplace that lay stagnant at the moment, charred wood lay at the bottom of it.

Hyejoo was in their kitchen rustling around in the pantry, her head buried to the back of the bottom shelf.

“What’re you doing?” Hyunjin leaned forward to see the contents of the space better. For a house containing one human and a ghost, they had quite a bit of food. More than Hyunjin usually had on hand, and that was saying something. Hyunjin liked her food.

“Looking for something,” Hyejoo’s voice was muffled, the sound probably absorbed by that bag of grain beside her head. She finally crawled out, victoriously displaying her find— a small brown bag with an indecipherable logo stamped on the front of it. “Jackpot,” A genuine smile edged on the woman’s face.

She sat at the loveseat that was placed just across from the couch that the other two occupied, a small table dividing the space between them. Hyunjin watched as she dug in the bag, procuring, what looked like, a yellow, circular tablet, before throwing it into her mouth.

“Is that what I think it is?” Heejin spoke. Hyejoo lobbed a piece their way, and Heejin caught it smoothly. She held it up, inspecting it. Hyunjin hummed from beside her, brows furrowed. “It’s a hard candy,” Heejin turned to Hyejoo with a questioning gaze, “From the Son Kingdom right?” Hyejoo nodded, mouth full. Heejin smiled wide, “The Son Kingdom is well known for its sweets. My family always brings some home whenever we travel there. Here,” She held the candy out, moving it closer to Hyunjin, stopping it just before her lips.

Hyunjin stopped short for a moment, her eyes shifting between the treat and Heejin’s eyes. Her cheeks burned as she leaned forward, letting her lips engulf it. She nearly choked when she accidentally grazed Heejin’s fingers, but she marched on, pulling back, internally groaning to herself. Heejin looked at her expectantly, eyes shining.

“Good?” Hyunjin hummed an affirmative, giving her a half-hearted nod. It _was_ good candy. The lemon flavor exploded on her tongue pleasantly. Her attention pulled to Hyejoo, who snorted, not hiding the way she was blatantly observing them.

“Enjoying yourself?” The glum woman spoke through a nearly imperceptible smirk. Hyunjin coughed.

“Very much, thanks,” Hyejoo barked out a laugh, all high pitched and bratty. Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

They settled, eating the candy slowly (Hyunjin wasn’t sure if Kahei would be mad that they ate her supply of treats, but she’d leave for Hyejoo to deal with). Hyunjin hummed, her mind landing on a subject that swirled in her mind since they’d arrived.

“So...do all witches have ghosts hanging around or…?” Hyunjin ventured. Hyejoo raised a brow at her, throwing another piece of candy into her mouth.

“This is Haseul’s house.”

“I didn’t know real estate was doing so well in the spirit world,” Hyunjin grinned when she heard Heejin’s quiet snort from beside her. Hyejoo gave her an unimpressed look.

“You’re lame,” She paused, chewing. “She owned it before, well, you know,” Hyejoo shrugged. “Then Kahei came along, maybe a decade after.”

“Wait, Haseul didn’t have family that moved in or anything? She was alone all those years?” Heejin questioned, a frown on her face. Hyunjin’s hand sought hers out, giving it a small squeeze. Their eyes met momentarily, and Hyunjin had to look away when the butterflies in Hyunjin’s stomach started to flutter erratically.

“Well, there were people that came in and out, but, well, witches are more connected to the supernatural,” Hyejoo explained.

“So...Kahei was literally the first person to be able to communicate with her?” Hyunjin filled in, the pieces clicking in place. Hyejoo hummed, nodding her head.

“That’s lonely,” Heejin spoke, the quiet syllables fluttering in the air between them.

“Kahei makes up for it,” Hyunjin jumped again at the sound of a, now somewhat familiar, voice intruding on their conversation. Haseul sat next to Hyejoo now, a whimsical smile on her face as she regarded them. “I see you got into our food again,” She raised a brow at Hyejoo, who only offered a shrug.

“Not like you need to eat anyway.”

“True,” Haseul nodded. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything,” Her smile turned guilty, “Kahei wanted me to tell you that she’s almost done. Just a little longer,” She gave them two thumbs up, beaming brightly. The sight procured a quiet chuckle from Hyunjin, a small huff of air out of her nose. Haseul disappeared into thin air, leaving with a cute wave.

Hearing that put Hyunjin on edge. It was good news sure, but things have been pretty uneventful up until now. In fact, things were quite pleasant. A little too pleasant.

Hyejoo suddenly sat up. Hyunjin caught the younger woman’s gaze.

“Uh, Gereumie’s…” She gave a dismissive wave. “It’s probably nothing—”

“AGH!” Yeojin’s yelp was heard easily from the other room. Hyunjin sprung to her feet (not without reluctantly detaching her hand from Heejin’s), rushing to the scene.

“Wait! Hyunjin!” Heejin’s voice yelled from behind her, but she ignored it, bursting into the back room.

Yerim was on top of Yeojin, seemingly trying to get her into a chokehold if the way she was holding her neck in the crook of her arm was any indication. The sight would’ve been normal, were it not for Chaewon watching wide-eyed, a heart-shaped, glass bottle in hand with some pink liquid sloshing around inside of it, with Gereumie beside her, wagging his tail happily. Kahei stood in the middle of the pentagram, eyebrows furrowed, a hand scrunched nervously in her hair and Haseul **stood** (floated?) beside her, grimacing at the scene.

“Agh! Hyunj—!” Yerim tried to pull Yeojin’s face closer to hers, puckering her lips. “HELP! I DON’T WANT TO GO OUT THIS WAY!” The commotion made Gereumie bark excitedly, as he circled around the duo.

“What in the _hell_ is going on!? Stop fucking around!” 

“The blonde one got her hands on the love potion,” Kahei spoke, pointing to Yeojin’s writhing body. Hyunjin’s eyes flit to the heart-shaped glass bottle in Chaewon’s hands. Hyunjin was a little overwhelmed. The urge to laugh and simultaneously yell at the duo fought for dominance in her brain.

“Are fucking with me?” Looks like yelling won the fight. Yeojin let out another yelp as Yerim tried to wrestle her to the ground again. “You’re an idiot Yeojin! I’m not helping you!” A hand settled on Hyunjin’s lower back and she turned to see Heejin with Hyejoo just behind her, standing in the doorway.

“Is it dangerous?” Hyejoo enquired.

“No—”

“Maybe—?” Kahei and Haseul spoke simultaneously. Kahei arched a brow, pushing Haseul to explain. “Well, there was that one time that that guy tried to skin the other dude—”

“He _skinned_ him!?” Hyunjin felt a little queasy. Her eyes shot to the duo, still wrestling on the floor.

“Attempted to, but the circumstances were a little different,” Kahei spoke. Hyunjin grimaced.

“Alright, fuck it, I’m not gonna let Yerim _skin_ Yeojin for fuck’s sake,” Hyunjin grumbled, rolling her sleeves up, and marching towards the two. Heejin’s hand caught the crook of her elbow. Hyunjin gave her a questioning gaze.

“You’re literally hurt!” Heejin gestured to Hyunjin’s torso. Hyunjin scoffed.

“It’s Yerim and Yeojin, they’re not gonna hurt me,” Yeojin let out a wheeze, making everyone’s eyes fall to the two, still tangled around one another, in the middle of the room.

“SHE SOCKED ME IN THE STOMACH!” Yeojin whined. Hyunjin frowned.

“Uh, they won’t hurt me _that_ much, anyway,” Hyunjin quickly amended her statement.

“I just— I really don’t think that’s a good idea, Hyunjin,” Heejin’s grip tightened on her arm.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Heejin whispered. Hyunjin raised her eyebrows.

“It’s just Yeojin and Yerim,” Heejin frowned.

“That’s not—”

“HELP ME!” Yeojin yelped. Haseul and Chaewon stood to the side, Chaewon seemed more amused than anything with Gereumie now by her side, enjoying the pats Chaewon was giving him. Haseul watched from behind her hands (though, Hyunjin was pretty sure she could see through her hands, since they were, well, transparent). Kahei had wandered to where a long, wooden table was shoved against the wall, a heavy black cauldron sat atop it. She nonchalantly leafed through an old-looking book.

Hyunjin glanced back at Heejin, hoping to see her resolve crumble. Heejin frowned, sighing before she let her grip on Hyunjin loosen.

“If something happens, I’m jumping in,” Heejin warned. Hyunjin gave her a nod before walking up to the younger duo.

Yerim seemed to have won the fight, now laying atop a very defeated looking Yeojin, embracing her with all of her strength. Hyunjin crouched down to level with Yerim.

“Yerim,” She spoke, waiting for a moment. Hyunjin watched as Yerim’s eyes finally focused on her. “I’m gonna move you…” Her hand hovered over Yerim’s form.

“Careful, they can get possessive,” Kahei spoke with a casual tone, head still buried in the book. Hyunjin puffed her cheeks out, letting the air blow out in a heavy burst.

And then she moved.

Wrapping her arms around Yerim’s torso, she yanked her away like a leech. They fell back, Hyunjin landing on the floor with Yerim now on her lap. Yeojin scrambled back to her feet, rubbing at her face with disdain where Yerim had landed particularly wet kisses.

Yerim grabbed Hyunjin’s face and cupped her cheeks with both hands. Hyunjin was sure she saw her eyes suddenly dilate as her lips drooped into a dopey smile.

“Hyunjin!” She squealed. The younger woman wrapped her arms around her, making Hyunjin wince slightly at the way she squeezed her ribs a little too hard.

“Oh! You’re hurt!” She gasped, rubbing a hand on Hyunjin’s side. She pouted and bit her lip, her eyes flickering up to Hyunjin’s. “I can kiss it better!” She grasped at Hyunjin’s shirt.

“Yerim! _Please_ don’t do that, whatever you do, _don’t_ do that!” Yerim whined, before clinging to Hyunjin again.

“I want to help!”

“I’m _really_ fine, just don’t move, that’ll make me happy,” Hyunjin’s smile was tense.

“It will?”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Yerim beamed, nearly vibrating with excitement.

“Okay!” Yerim’s gaze suddenly turned serious, her eyes locked with Hyunjin’s and Hyunjin body froze, afraid to flicker away. “I love you,” She said with full conviction, before burying her head in the crook of Hyunjin’s neck.

“Oh god, what have I done,” Hyunjin spoke through clenched teeth, her eyes wide, internally screaming for help from the individuals that surrounded her.

“That’s not good,” Hyejoo muttered.

“Wait! Why is she being all nice to you!? I got a beatdown!” Yeojin pouted.

“The love potion just amplifies any affections that the person holds towards other people. So friendships, _crushes_ ,” Kahei gave a pointed look to the way that Yerim stuck to Hyunjin. “You know, those sorts of things,” Hyunjin’s eyes widened. She glanced at Yeojin who looked like she was holding in a laugh. She was gonna punt that little kid.

“Is she gonna hurt her?” Heejin tried to walk closer to the two, but when she tried to touch Hyunjin, her hand was slapped away by Yerim, who shot her the most venomous glare Hyunjin had ever seen her give to someone. Really, she hadn’t thought the younger girl was really _capable_ of being mean to another person. Besides Yeojin or maybe her, of course.

“Hyunjin should be fine. _You,_ on the other hand, should probably steer clear,” Kahei swept the room. “All of you actually,” Heejin sighed and moved about a foot away from the two.

“It’s alright,” Hyunjin reassured her, though Heejin’s lips stayed downturned despite her efforts.

“Anyway, now we have to clean this mess up,” Kahei frowned. “And finish the tracking spell,” Haseul appeared beside her and gave her a reassuring smile. Her hand went to the pink-haired woman’s and laced their fingers together (which, Hyunjin didn’t know ghosts could _do that_ ).

“It’s okay baby, the spell shouldn’t take too long to pick up where you left off, and we could just wait for the love potion to wear off.”

“How long does it take to wear off?” Chaewon asked.

“It depends on how much was given to her,” Kahei sighed, sounding just as exasperated as the rest of them. “Sometimes a few days. Sometimes longer.”

“How much did you give her?” Hyunjin hissed at Yeojin through gritted teeth, though, it probably lost some of its intimidation factor with Yerim being glued to her, carding her fingers through her hair. Yeojin shot her hands up innocently.

“I just put a drop on her head! I swear!” Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Then it shouldn't take too long, right?” She asked Kahei, though her attention was pulled away by how quiet Yerim was being.

For a moment, Yerim paused her ministrations to Hyunjin’s hair and turned to look Hyejoo straight in the face with a grin.

“You know what? You’re not scary at all,” Hyunjin heard Chaewon snort quietly. “You’re really cute,” She beamed. It was really the follow-up wink that made Hyunjin feel like she was dying inside, and based on the way Hyejoo grimaced and looked away, she couldn’t bear the sight either.

“Okay, we definitely need to make a reverse spell,” Chaewon’s eyes were dark as she regarded the purple-haired girl who proceeded to grab at Hyunjin’s face to try to land a kiss on her. Hyunjin squealed, trying her best to pull away.

“I agree,” Heejin muttered.

“Way ahead of you,” Kahei muttered, already pulling miscellaneous items from the shelves that surrounded them.

And so, Hyunjin sat in the backyard, overgrown grass and flowers of all colors surrounding her and Yerim. Kahei walked up to her, handing her a glass of water in one hand and vial of suspicious red liquid for the other hand. Though, Yerim was currently occupying its grasp.

“Yerim, I kind of need to—” Yerim whined, pulling the hand closer to her body when Hyunjin tried to move it away. Hyunjin gave Kahei a desperate look, and she only shrugged.

“You can hold it together,” She shoved the vial into both of their hands, not waiting for a response, moving away to grab something else. When she came back, she unceremoniously plopped a flower crown atop Hyunjin’s head.

“Is this...necessary?”

“Of course,” Kahei nodded, though Hyunjin could only hone in on Yeojin’s laughter.

Hyejoo and Chaewon stood next to the small blonde, both sporting reserved, yet amused, smirks. Heejin on the other hand only barely concealed her pout. Hyunjin couldn’t really blame her. Every time she so much as came near Hyunjin, Yerim would glare at her (she was sure she’d even heard a hiss once), so Hyunjin urged her to stay away. She really didn’t want to have to fight Yerim (especially since she had a feeling that Yerim could win in the state that Hyunjin was currently in).

Kahei came back, eyes tired— Hyunjin was sure that doing two spells at once could do that to a person. She’d been sitting out here, trying not to fidget as per Kahei’s instructions ( _‘Your aura needs to be soaked up’_ whatever that meant), no matter how much Yerim is trying to kiss her (even if she does land a few pecks on her cheek), all the while trying her best not to be caught in one of Heejin’s glares (she knows that they’re mostly for Yerim, but she can’t help but feel like they were sort of for her too).

She inspected the vial in Hyunjin’s hand without disturbing it and hummed.

“What?” Hyunjin whispered. It didn’t feel right to disturb the silence that settled when Kahei came around again.

“Well, it worked,” Kahei spoke, pulling the vial from their hands. Hyunjin panicked a bit, seeing it be taken away.

“Wait, what? But—” Her eyes went to Yerim, who still clung to her, and was currently playing with her fingers now that they were freed from holding the vial.

“Just give it a second,” Kahei stood, plucking the cork from the glass with a _‘pop’_. The liquid sizzled inside, a small plume of smoke rising. Then, she proceeded to pour it straight into the glass of water. The red-tinted the glass completely, from an angry red, slowly into a soft pink.

“Whoa,” Yerim groaned from beside her, pulling away.

“Yerim?”

“What happened?” The girl rubbed at her eyes.

“Do you remember anything?” Kahei settled her hand upon Yerim’s shoulder.

“I remember tackling Yeojin,” Yerim muttered, her eyes finding the girl just a few feet away from them. Yeojin gave her an innocent wave.

“Yeojin gave you a love potion,” Hyunjin explained.

“Are you kidding me!?” Yerim frowned, “Wait, but,” Yerim looked down, her cheeks growing red at, what Hyunjin could only assume, the position that they were in. Yerim still sat atop Hyunjin and they were, well...close.

“It’s okay—” Hyunjin started. Yerim pouted, hiding her face in her hands.

“Oh my god.”

“It’s perfectly normal—”

“It’s embarrassing!” Yerim shot her head up, out of her momentary hiding place. Her face was red, “You weren’t supposed to know! And now everything’s weird, and Heejin probably wants to fight me!”

“Why would Heejin—? No, look,” Hyunjin sighed, grabbing Yerim’s face. “It’s not weird, okay? I care about you Yerim, just...not like that. You shouldn’t be embarrassed though, okay?” Hyunjin stared, waiting for Yerim’s shifty eyes to finally keep their gaze steady. When she did, she gave a small nod, red still coloring her cheeks. “Okay,” Hyunjin breathed out, pulling away from Yerim.

Yerim’s eyebrows suddenly slanted, a dark look overtaking her face.

“I’m gonna kill that midget,” She muttered, jumping up with a surprising amount of vigor, her fists clenching.

“You might want to—” Kahei began, but Yerim was already chasing Yeojin around the garden. “Rest for a second…” She trailed off.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Hyunjin asked, watching the girls. Yeojin promptly tripped, allowing Yerim to jump atop of her, wrestling her into a headlock, though, this time, Hyunjin was sure that it was _not_ out of love.

“She’s fine,” Kahei gave her a warm smile. “She might crash later, but she’s fine,” Hyunjin nodded, sighing.

Kahei went back inside to finish up the locator spell, Hyejoo and Chaewon followed while Hyunjin, Heejin and the younger two opted to stay outside (Yerim and Yeojin had gotten over fighting after Yerim managed to land a punch on Yeojin’s face and proceeded to apologize straight after because _“Oh my god, that looked like it hurt!”_ ).

Heejin approached Hyunjin, settling next to her in the grass. Her hand went up to adjust the flower crown that still sat atop the taller woman’s head.

“Does it suit me?” Hyunjin winked at Heejin. Heejin rolled her eyes, turning away for a moment. When she turned back, her eyes were much softer.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just had to endure being a sponge to Yerim’s affections for a bit,” Hyunjin chuckled, rubbing a hand down her face. Heejin looked just as tired, her eyes lost, looking toward the forest that expanded past the small garden. “Are _you_?”

Heejin scoffed. “Why wouldn’t I be?” Hyunjin shrugged. Heejin sighed, falling back to lay down in the grass, pulling at Hyunjin’s shirt for her to join her. When she did, Heejin spoke again, “I am, really. It was...kind of entertaining honestly. I’m just— It’s just,” Heejin shifted so that she was facing Hyunjin. “You make me so worried sometimes, it makes me sick,” Hyunjin bit her lip, watching those wide eyes, filled to the brim with affection aimed towards her.

Hyunjin moved, her hand settling between the both of them. She watched as Heejin’s slowly settled atop hers, intertwining their fingers.

“You just missed holding my hand,” Hyunjin teased, the smug smile on her face slightly falling as she noticed that Heejin was a bit closer than she was before, and was moving even closer, slowly. “Uh—”

Heejin’s warm breath puffed over the small distance that separated them, just brushing against her lips. Hyunjin licked them and shifted, shaving away an inch between them. Heejin’s hand cupped her jaw and Hyunjin melted into the touch. Her thumb caught the corner of her mouth, swiping there.

“Can I—”

“ _Please_ ,” Hyunjin shakily pleaded.

Their teeth clacked together a bit, and maybe it hurt a little bit, but Hyunjin didn’t mind, melting into it when she’d felt Heejins soft lips against her own. Hyunjin pushed closer, placing her hand against Heejin’s waist. She ran her hand up, placing her fingers in the divots of her ribs. Heejin pulled back, both of them out of breath. She moved forward to place a chaste kiss against Hyunjin’s lips again before she laid down again.

“Oh,” Hyunjin’s eyes stared dazedly at Heejin’s lips for a moment. “That was nicer than hand-holding,” Heejin let out a small snort, her hands smoothing around Hyunjin’s waist, coming around the back to join and pull her closer.

“A little bit,” Heejin murmured, a grin playing at her lips.

“So…” And those words and those thoughts that would pop up in Hyunjin’s head every time she was around Heejin (and every time she wasn’t around Heejin) started swirling in her mind. Her mouth didn’t seem to know how to verbalize any of it.

“I love you,” And Hyunjin’s insides were filled with cotton, strung along soft tissue, warming up her insides. “I think I’ve been in love with you since that stupid tower,” Heejin gave a sort of broken laugh.

“Was it my heroic nature?” Heejin scoffed, pushing at Hyunjin’s shoulder.

“Definitely not. You’d make a horrible knight,” Hyunjin nodded. “It wasn’t even the whole ‘saving’ part,” Hyunjin snorted. You could barely call it saving, in her opinion. She and Hyejoo kind of just got the dragon out of the way and Heejin took care of everything else.

Heejin continued, “I don’t know, maybe it was when you didn’t take the money, or try to ‘claim me’. Or how you ate those berries that were _clearly_ poisonous on the way back home,” Hyunjin coughed at that. That was definitely something she wanted to forget. Hunger often got the best of Hyunjin, especially after a high stakes situation like saving a princess.

“It was just— you, you’re special Kim Hyunjin.” 

“I…” Hyunjin mentally chastised her mouth. It was simple, Heejin _made_ it look simple. So, she doesn’t know why her vocal cords seemed to fail her. All she knows is that this woman makes her feel so much and that she never regretted taking that stupid job, because it meant that Heejin was here, with her, lying in the grass after one of the best kisses she’s had in her entire life.

Hyunjin, expecting Heejin’s face to fall when she was unable to form a coherent sentence, was met with an unwavering grin. Heejin unclasped her hands from behind Hyunjin’s back and brought one between them, cupping Hyunjin’s face again. Her thumb swiped reverently against Hyunjin’s bottom lip, her eyes flitting from there to her eyes, boring into them.

“It’s alright.”

“I really, really, like you,” Hyunjin blurted. And maybe Hyunjin could say that. Heejin’s eyes lit up, her smile equally as bright.

“Really?” Hyunjin nodded, letting herself naturally gravitate to Heejin again, sharing another kiss, this one being deeper than the last. When they pulled away, Hyunjin found herself in another spiral.

The first thing being that Heejin was a princess. That was a bit of an issue. Another issue, Hyunjin’s a bounty hunter. Hyunjin’s _killed_ people for god’s sake, she can’t marry a _princess_. And then Hyunjin’s mind reeled at the word _marry_ , oh dear god, was she ready to get married? If she got married, would she be a princess too?

Heejin’s hand combing through her hair brought her back down again.

“Uh, I’m panicking,” Hyunjin squeaked.

“I know,” Heejin snorted. She leaned forward, pecking her on the lips, and Hyunjin only now faced the realization that they could do things like _that_ now. She smiled against Heejin’s lips. “We’ll figure it out, I promise,” Hyunjin nodded.

“Hey lovebirds!” Chaewon’s voice reached from where she stood on the back porch. She grinned, seeing Hyunjin and Heejin sit up from their place in the grass. “Kahei found it.”

The younger duo, who were still sitting on the porch, squealed with delight before rushing into the house. Hyunjin warmed at the thought of them seeing her moment with Heejin, but she had enough information on both of them to blackmail them into another lifetime, so she shrugged it off.

Heejin turned to her with a soft smile and Hyunjin was reminded of a familiar woman, that felt so far into the past now, with tattered royal garments adorning her body, a body that should’ve looked frail, that should’ve brought on pity. But instead, Hyunjin was overwhelmed by the mere presence of the woman, whose eyes held so much passion, and tenacity. Whose smile was unwavering, and whose confidence never seemed to wear down. And Hyunjin finally let herself fall face-first into it.

“Ready?”

She held out a hand and Hyunjin grabbed it without a second thought.

“Ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I laughed when I wrote in Yerim socking Yeojin in the stomach-- I can't help but imagine it play out, ah lol.
> 
> Tell me if you have a favorite part though! I love reading all the comments! Also, only one more chapter to go!


	6. Can We Go Home Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The portal was a ripple in the air, almost like a large, round mirror that made the air shimmer around it. Hyunjin shivered, being in its proximity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahem...hello again...sorry for the wait, but wow, last chapter! I hope you enjoy reading!

The portal was a ripple in the air, almost like a large, round mirror that made the air shimmer around it. Hyunjin shivered, being in its proximity.

“Why can’t you do cool magic like that?” Yerim asked Yeojin, making her splutter a complaint. Hyunjin couldn’t be bothered to listen in, her mind being a little preoccupied.

“So, you just...step in?” Kahei nodded, answering Hyunjin’s hesitant question. Hyunjin contemplated just how much they needed her for this last stretch. It couldn’t be entirely too hard to capture a frog, right? God, she could feel her eye twitching from the stress just slowly, _slowly_ piling onto her from the events of the past few days.

“You coming?” Yeojin broke Hyunjin from her reverie. Hyunjin grimaced.

“Seriously?” The shorter girl whined, pulling an involuntary groan from Hyunjin. “You’re lame!” She frowned. Hyunjin shot a desperate look at Yerim, whose hands were planted on her hips, a stern look on her face.

“That _i_ _s_ lame, Hyunjin.”

Great. Now both of Hyunjin’s eyes were twitching. She clenched them shut and ran an exasperated hand down her face.

“We’ve been traveling for days, I walked in on Soo doing the unspeakable with Princess Jiwoo, I almost _died_ , I walked into this sketchy ass house— no offense,” She grumbled the aside to the pink-haired witch, who only shrugged, “And I just had to deal with "love spell Yerim"! so, sorry if I don’t wanna step into that stupid portal!”

The group was silent, the younger duo seemingly unfazed by Hyunjin’s sudden breakdown, Hyejoo as unemotional as usual and Chaewon silently judging her, eyebrows raised and mouth in a secretive smirk. (Kahei just looked a little bored, though, Haseul, floating beside her, was cringing, her eyes holding on Hyunjin almost pitifully). Hyunjin was about to groan again at her predicament when her sleeve was tugged. She turned, her heart suddenly lighter at the sight of Heejin’s bright eyes peering into her own.

“I’ll hold your hand?” Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Seriously?” She watched Heejin hold her hand out, palm up, her fingers wiggling in a silent invitation. Hyunjin huffed out a sigh, fighting the smile edging on to her face as she tangled their digits together. Hyunjin finds that the portal doesn’t seem quite as daunting now.

“Wow, that was a lot,” Kahei spoke. “Anyway, the frog is right through that portal, if you want to go through it any time soon.”

The group lined up, ready to jump through the fissure in space. Yeojin curiously poked her head through, jerking away the next second, her eyes wide.

“It’s snowing!” She patted her hair, shaking off the now melted ice.

“Snow? How the hell does a frog survive in—” Hyunjin crossed her arms, letting out a heavy sigh. “Right. Did anyone think about how we were going to _capture_ it once we found it? Because magical luck seems to have a bit of an edge over skill.”

“Way ahead of you,” Kahei shook a glass bottle. Sparkling liquid swirled inside. “It’ll only dull down the effects of the stone that frog swallowed for a bit, but it should be enough time to catch it,” Yeojin took it, amazed at the sight of the shiny liquid.

“Don’t drink it,” Hyunjin warned, pulling a scoff from the younger girl.

“I’m not five.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Hyunjin grinned. Before a fight could break out between the two, Yerim pulled them together again.

Stepping through the portal wasn’t unlike stepping through that veil that surrounded Kahei’s house. It sort of felt like Hyunjin was being squeezed through an invisible space— maybe that’s what they were doing, squeezing through space. Her brain didn’t work abstractly enough for thoughts like this.

The snow beneath her boots was fluffy, making her sink through with every step she took. Hyunjin shivered at the sharp winds that whistled past them, regretting her idea to forgo her cloak for once. (The hand that Heejin curled around her arm helped a bit though).

It didn’t take long to locate the frog, it was a sore thumb against the pure white landscape.

The four of them scrambled in the amphibian’s direction, snow crunching beneath their thin boots.

“Yeojin! The potion!” Yerim called after her.

Hyunjin, having already slipped in the snow, just a hair’s width away from that damn frog, watched the small blonde rush past her, the potion in her hands. Yeojin stopped, chest heaving (maybe it was the fact that they were in the mountains, but the air was suddenly thin, not heavy enough to satisfy Hyunjin’s lungs, and it looked like Yeojin felt it too). She stamped her feet into the snow, legs falling into a heavy stance before she reeled her arms back and heaved the glass bottle forward, letting the liquid from it slosh over the rim and...straight into the snow.

Absolutely nowhere near the frog.

With that, the frog let out a ‘ _ribbit’,_ before hopping a couple of times.

Hyunjin laid in the snow for a moment, watching the sparkly liquid seep into the white tundra.

“Yeojin, I’m going to kill you,” Hyunjin’s words were slow and calculated, just like the plans she was making in her mind to murder Yeojin. Yeojin squeaked.

“It’s the stone! It gave me bad aim!”

“Are you kidding me!?” Hyunjin shouted back, only to be interrupted by Yerim and Heejin.

“We’re gonna lose it! C’mon!” Yerim yelled, already running towards the amphibian. Heejin pulled Hyunjin up, tugging her into a sprint as they attempted to approach the amphibian again.

“Wait, wait, wait, I can fix this!” Hyunjin looked back to see Yeojin shoveling through the snow with the glass that once held the potion. Hyunjin pulled away from Heejin’s grip with an apologetic smile in response to Heejin’s furrowed brows.

Yeojin is packing snow into the bottle when Hyunjin gets to her, crouching in the snow next to her.

“It won’t dilute it?” Yeojin only gave her a helpless shrug.

“I guess we’ll see, if you can _hit_ it first,” She shoved the bottle into Hyunjin’s hands, and Hyunjin was off, running as fast as she could, stumbling through the snow, which only fought to swallow her in its depth. She dug into the jar, her numb hands forming a mushy snowball, and when she’s somewhat within distance, she takes aim and throws.

The first throw lands beside the animal, only causing it to hop further away. Heejin and Yerim move slowly, their movements less precise— tainted by the cold that seeps through Hyunjin’s very own veins. She’s never had to deal with weather this harsh before, at least, not without the proper equipment, and she certainly wasn’t chasing down, what Hyunjin thinks would be considered, an _enchanted_ _frog_.

Hyunjin grunts, pulling her body further into the ice. She forces her momentary panic down, her eyes measuring the icy mush at the bottom of the jar. Just enough for one more try.

She dips her hand into the jar again, clumping slush together and flinging it through the air. The ball (if you could call its precarious structure a “ball”) flew, nearly falling apart in flight, leaving a trail of sparkles to litter the atmosphere and ground below it. It whirled and, with wide eyes, Hyunjin watched as it nearly landed on the amphibian again.

She held down a wince, which slowly turned into surprise when she saw the “snowball” splatter, droplets hitting the body of the frog.

That was enough for Hyunjin.

“Get it Yerim!” Hyunjin shouted at the purple-haired girl, who stood closest to the animal. She wasn’t sure if it was enough to dull its luck, but whatever they could get she’d take.

Hyunjin is still attempting to close the distance between herself and where Yerim and Heejin stood (Yeojin was still behind, catching up, but mostly sinking in the heavy snow). She watched as Yerim fumbled, coming absurdly close to touching the animal, even attempting to punch the hopping amphibian (the action was met with confused shouts from both Hyunjin and Heejin, to which Yerim answered with _“Well, it can't move around if we knock it out!”_ and Hyunjin couldn’t really argue with that).

When Hyunjin’s finally close, she runs to intercept the jumping creature, but the soles of her boots slide against hard ice and she hits the ground with a _thump_ (she’s not sure if she’s ever fallen this much in such a short span of time). When she manages to hoist her head up, she catches sight of Heejin leaping through the air, hands outstretched in front of her before she too hits the ground, stomach first.

Hyunjin gets to her feet again— not without slipping and sliding around for a bit— her eyes widening when she sees Heejin struggling to hold a green ball of squirming limbs.

“Is that—?” Yerim speaks from behind Hyunjin, only to be cut off.

“YES!” Yeojin’s small body collides against Hyunjin’s, whose body collides against Heejin. “We make a great team!”

“You didn’t do much,” Hyunjin retorted, though Yeojin only shushed her.

Yerim joined the impromptu group hug as they all shared their own sentiments of relief and victory amongst one another. Yeojin moves the arm slung over Hyunjin’s shoulder to pet the frog’s head, its bulbous eyes revealing that it doesn’t have any clue as to what was happening around it.

“Do you think it’s cold?” Yeojin questioned.

“I don’t know, but it’s kind of slimy,” Heejin grinned a bit too joyfully about this fact.

“Ooh,” Yerim silently asked Heejin to hand it over, her hands making grabby motions. She grimaced upon touching it and Hyunjin shuddered at the thought of its sticky skin. Though, maybe it was the cold getting to her; her adrenaline finally wearing off.

“Hang on,” Heejin held up a finger, digging in one of her pockets to pull out a piece of yellow cloth, wrapping it around the amphibian.

“It’s cute,” Yerim spoke through chattering teeth.

It’s at that moment that Hyunjin realizes why the fabric it was bundled in looked so familiar.

“You kept it?” Hyunjin pointed to the cloth. The last time she saw it, she was draping it across Heejin’s face. When her eyes flit up to the woman, she’s met with an uncharacteristic blush dusted across her cheeks.

“Why wouldn’t I?” She shrugged, the casual motion made heavy by the emotion behind her eyes.

“Oh barf, let’s go, I’m cold,” Yeojin interjected, grabbing for the amphibian. Yerim pulled away, holding the animal above her head, out of the shorter girl’s reach.

“No, no, no. You don’t get to touch anything anymore,” Yerim’s tone was curt, making Yeojin frown. Heejin only shrugged.

“She’s right,” And Hyunjin echoed the younger girl’s sentiments.

“Whatever,” Yeojin huffed, crossing her arms and stomping away, the fluffy snow reaching up to her kneecaps.

“Is she even going the right way?” Yerim questioned.

“No. No, she’s not,” Heejin answered.

“She’ll be fine,” Hyunjin waved off.

After being chastised, Hyunjin trekked through the snow to retrieve a petulant Yeojin.

  
  


Getting back to the Jeon Kingdom came with a relief that Hyunjin did not expect to feel.

Kahei managed to...extract the enchanted gemstone from the frog (Hyunjin wasn’t sure how this happened, but she can’t imagine it was pleasant for the poor guy), and after many “thank yous” were exchanged from Hyunjin to Hyejoo and Chaewon, and a promise to pay them back, they were set to go. One of the most tedious quests that Hyunjin had ever taken was finally over.

Well, one of the most tedious and _fruitful_.

They stood, just in front of the gates of the kingdom, the early afternoon sun shining down upon them. Hyunjin glanced to catch Heejin’s side profile again. A sharp jawline softened by her bright smile stretched across pink lips. The way her cheeks would lift, her eyes squinting in that way that conveyed an all-encompassing happiness that only Jeon Heejin seemed to carry with her at all times. Hyunjin flushed when those eyes caught her. Heejin tilted her head in question. Hyunjin didn’t quite get the chance to answer because Yeojin’s shrill yell broke their bubble.

“He peed on me!” She held the frog up, shaking him uselessly, his limp legs swinging. Hyunjin quirked a brow.

“You’re the one that wanted to keep it,” Yerim replied.

"Him," Yeojin grumbled.

Yerim rolled her eyes. “Anyway,” She turned to Heejin and Hyunjin. “I think we should get going now,” A small frown kept the corners of her lips down. Hyunjin watched as Heejin mirrored it.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come?” Hyunjin sputtered, nearly choking on her own spit at Heejin’s nonchalant volunteering of Hyunjin’s services again. Both Yerim and Heejin shot knowing looks in the taller woman’s direction.

“No, we’ll be fine,” Yerim smiled. “The contact isn’t too far away, we’ll make it by sundown.”

Yeojin and Yerim, now with the gemstone intact, were to deliver the precious item to some mysterious contact. Hyunjin can’t imagine that they would be too happy, having their item delayed this long. Then again, Yeojin and Yerim now had the power of magical luck on their side. They could probably convince their contact to triple the price if they wanted to. She wouldn’t put it past the duo to do something like that.

Yerim cleared her throat, hands on her hips, the confident stance barely concealing the obvious way her eyes were tearing up and her lip was shaking. “I guess this is goodbye…”

“Uh…” Hyunjin, perplexed, attempted to say something to soothe Yerim but was cut off by sniffling from beside her. Panic squeezed at her lungs when she saw Heejin dabbing at her eyes, tears already trailing down her cheeks. Did she miss something?

Suddenly, a warm body thrust forward into her space. Hyunjin’s arms automatically wrapped around Yerim’s small frame and balanced them out. She let out a sigh, her hand coming up to ease circles into the younger girl’s back.

“Crybaby,” Hyunjin scoffed. “You act like we don’t see each other every other day.”

“Just let me have this moment,” Yerim mumbled into her shoulder. Hyunjin hid her grin in purple hair. It wasn’t like she was going to pull away anyway.

Yeojin, who was previously rolling her eyes at Yerim’s emotional actions, decided to forgo her unaffected front, and pounce on Heejin, squeezing her into a hug.

“You’re so much cooler than Hyunjin, please don’t break up with her,” Yeojin wailed nuzzling into Heejin’s shoulder. Heejin raised her brows, sending a smile, laughter barely contained behind it, in Hyunjin’s direction, who burned red at the comment.

When Yerim decided she was tired of Hyunjin’s embrace— squirming away from her to hug Heejin because apparently _“She hugs better than you do,”_ , Yeojin swapped with her. Teary-eyed, and somewhat snot-nosed, the small blonde held the frog out to Hyunjin.

“What? Does your frog want a hug too?”

“You have to kiss him!” Hyunjin recoiled.

“Yeojin. No.”

“Why?” Yeojin jut her bottom lip out, eyes begging. “It would mean a lot to him,” She shook the small amphibian in front of Hyunjin like it was supposed to entice her to lay her lips on it. It didn’t.

“Do it!” Yerim egged her on, somewhere to the right of Hyunjin’s peripheral. She would have to deal with her later, for now, Hyunjin ignored her with a huff.

“Why are you like this?” Hyunjin questioned the small girl standing before her. 

Yeojin only held the frog out further. Hyunjin would never admit to anyone (not even herself) just how much sway Yeojin has with that pout. Apparently enough to make Hyunjin give a big sigh, and say, “Alright, whatever, give it to me,” before really processing what she was about to do.

Yeojin hopped happily, not unlike her new companion, and handed the frog off to Hyunjin. Hyunjin held it out, grimacing at the smell it was emanating. Do frogs usually smell this musty? The fact that it just peed in Yeojin’s hands crossed her thoughts, but she decided to shove that down in the back of mind, not wanting to throw up her breakfast.

Hyunjin rolled her eyes at more shouting from Yerim (and was that Heejin she heard, trying to hide a laugh?), before bringing the amphibian forward, quickly pecking the top of it’s head, before, quite literally, tossing it back to the girl. Yeojin let out a triumphant yell, holding the frog above her as she celebrated.

“I can’t believe you actually did it!” The girl wheezed. Hyunjin wiped at her lips with a snarl. She really could just step a little closer, straighten her leg out a bit and watch Yeojin go tumbling. Yeah. That sounds fun. She never gets to execute her evil plan, because Heejin’s warm hands find her arm, and Hyunjin would rather kiss that frog again than purposefully put distance between them.

“That was cute and all, but you know I’m not gonna kiss you again until you wash your mouth, right?” Heejin’s cheeky grin forced a groan from Hyunjin.

“I’m going home,” The taller woman grunted, leaving her friends (and newly acquired girlfriend) behind.

Yerim and Yeojin, being sappy as ever, pulled her back for another round of goodbyes.

  
  
  


The last time Hyunjin scaled these walls, Heejin was the one inside the castle. 

The night sky was a deep blue, nearly black, working to conceal the two figures breaking into the castle. Hyunjin huffed, pulling Heejin up and over the lip of the wall, before retrieving her grappling hook. The task is easy this time around. Hyunjin’s not quite sure why— maybe because she’s done it once before. Or maybe it’s because Heejin is just a better partner than Nayeon (she’s actually somewhat athletic, which is much more than Hyunjin ever got with that glorified theater kid).

They’re quiet as they take the same path into the castle. Heejin holds Hyunjin’s hand tight like she never wanted to let her go— let _this_ go. Hyunjin didn’t either.

When they reach Heejin’s door (the one with the ugly painting of a lady in a green dress, Hyunjin remembers) Hyunjin initiates a knocking pattern, one that gets the wooden door to creak open cautiously to reveal—

“Oh, you’re still alive!” Nayeon, who still stood as a carbon copy of the princess, huffed the words out like she was inconvenienced by their lack of punctuality. Hyunjin only rolls her eyes and shoves her way through.

“How’d it go?” Hyunjin could hear Heejin, ever polite, ask Nayeon.

“Perfect, obviously, I managed to trick everyone,” Nayeon’s smile isn’t like Heejin’s, soft and inviting, instead it’s a bit like a sneer. Hyunjin can’t help but see their lack of similarities as they stand next to one another. She wonders how she managed to slip under everyone’s radar if something as small as her smile seemed so wrong to Hyunjin.

“Good job Shakespeare,” Hyunjin grunted, pulling a glass bottle from her bag. It was purple, like the first potion, only lighter in color. She shoved it into Nayeon’s hands, “Now change.”

Instead of following Hyunjin’s instructions (because what else did Hyunjin expect?), Nayeon gave her a stern look, hands on her hips.

“Well?” She twirled her finger, pantomiming the action of turning around.

“Really? It’s not like you’re gonna be naked or anything.”

“I _refuse_ to let anyone see me in any state but perfect,” Nayeon replied haughtily. Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Too late for that,” She muttered, turning around. Heejin snorted from beside her, pinching at her arm in retaliation.

“Don’t be mean,” She hushed. They stood side by side, Heejin’s fingers playing at the cuff of her shirt. Hyunjin fought valiantly against the burn in her cheeks, though she was so pale, it was a losing battle. She was starting to learn to succumb to these things.

“So…” Heejin began. The look in her eyes was playful as she held Hyunjin’s gaze. “I was thinking… I want to take you out.”

“Out?” Heejin nodded.

“On a proper date,” No, Hyunjin definitely couldn’t fight the red that stained her cheeks. “I mean, one without witches or succubi—”

“Or two annoying kids trailing us?” Heejin chuckled.

“Exactly.”

“Ah,” A smirk worked its way to the taller woman’s lips. “Are you courting me, princess?”

Hyunjin was expecting, no, _hoping_ , for the princess to sputter out something lame, maybe laugh airly, twirl some hair around a finger as she shyly pushed as Hyunjin’s shoulder. Anything to make the thundering in Hyunjin’s chest ease, even a little bit.

But instead, Heejin stood her ground, her smile widening as she inched closer to Hyunjin. Her hand closed the distance and cupped Hyunjin’s face, falling perfectly along her jawline. Hyunjin couldn’t help leaning into the warmth.

“Why, of course, Kim Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, looking away (she didn’t dare move from Heejin’s hand though). She cleared her throat, hoping that Heejin didn’t hear the hitch in her breath.

“I’d like that.”

“Good.”

They’re finally able to turn around when Nayeon announces, in her normal voice now (and Hyunjin thanks god it’s her normal voice because never has Heejin’s voice sounded so wrong to her ears than when it’s coming from _Nayeon_ ), that she’s flawless again.

When Hyunjin goes to usher Nayeon out of the room (not without slapping a black cloak over her gaudy dress— a royal garment that Heejin so graciously allowed her to take), Hyunjin is stopped by Heejin, her hand wrapping around Hyunjin’s pinky finger. Hyunjin never really thought about how small Heejin’s hands were compared to hers.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Heejin’s tone is playful, but the hope is so openly displayed, it makes Hyunjin want to never leave her quarters. Instead, Hyunjin nods, procuring a bright smile from Heejin. And it seems like enough for now.

“Okay,” Heejin bites her lip, letting their hands swing between them for a moment. She steps closer to Hyunjin, and they’re close— close enough that Heejin now lays a hand on Hyunjin’s chest, soft gaze pointed up to her. Hyunjin’s hands naturally went to rest in the curve of the shorter woman’s waist.

Hyunjin thought that maybe after their first kiss, these nerves would go away. Her sweaty palms, the tingling in her limbs, the way her lungs seemed to seize at their proximity. But it always came in full force, just like the time before, and the time before that, as Heejin slid her hand from her chest to her shoulder and cradled her face with her other. Hyunjin resisted the urge to chuckle, watching as Heejin tiptoed just a bit to close that small gap between them.

And Hyunjin’s not sure if she _wants_ to get used to this. Heejin’s breath fanning against her lips in anticipation, that tentative touch of skin— Hyunjin’s hands always find their way to Heejin’s face, cradling her, holding her close like she’s always craved. The way that her lips slid against hers, warm and plush. They linger, whispers of emotions floating in the air between them.

It’s over too soon— it’s always too soon— and Nayeon’s incessant foot-tapping pulls them away.

“Bye,” Heejin pecks her lips and smiles against them, a gesture that Hyunjin can’t help but return.

“Bye.”

They take the same route to get outside of the castle. It was quiet tonight, and Hyunjin wasn’t sure they could get away with sneaking out into the courtyards a second time.

Nayeon was the first one to scale down the wall, a white-knuckled grip on the rope that hung by the hook that Hyunjin had just fastened. Hyunjin had to make near threats to get her on the rope again, not that she was making much progress. She only started descending, not barely a foot away from where Hyunjin stood when she decided she wanted to make small talk. Because apparently when you’re sneaking out of the royal castle in the dead of night is a good time to do these things. According to Nayeon, anyway.

“So…” Hyunjin turned, hairs standing on the back of her head at Nayeon’s impish tone. “You and the princess?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Really, she hasn’t _stopped_ giving Hyunjin weird looks and moving her eyebrows in that annoying fashion since they left Heejin’s room. And it only took that one remark for Hyunjin to start playfully wriggling the hook that kept Nayeon’s body suspended in air, the only thing keeping her from death. It was satisfying to see Nayeon stop, eyeing Hyunjin’s movements.

“I’m gonna let you drop,” Hyunjin warned.

Hyunjin nearly had a heart attack from the shriek that fell from Nayeon’s mouth. And then she _actually_ dropped her.

Nayeon was okay, if the limp thumbs up she sent up to Hyunjin from the bushes she fell into was anything to go by.

  
  
  


Heejin takes Hyunjin on their first date only a few days after they get back.

Hyunjin was never one for romance. She didn’t make much time for it in the first place, never understood the multiple girls that Sooyoung would charm on a nightly basis. Nor did she really understand people like Hyejoo and Chaewon, or Jungeun and Jinsol, who managed to capture that seemingly impossible concept that was “love”.

Hyunjin never really thought about it.

Well… sometimes she did.

Sometimes she thought about it when she was walking along cobblestoned streets in the dead of night, listening to a short (Hyunjin was hardly tall, but she was taller than Heejin, and she would _always_ hold that over her), oddly energetic woman ramble about everything and anything that came to her mind, trying her best to reel the stoic woman into some semblance of a conversation. Sometimes she thought about it when they stood in silence, watching the stray cats nibble at scraps that Hyunjin would save for them, and expensive meats that Heejin would keep stashed in her bag (Hyunjin would come to learn that Heejin was actually _stealing_ these meats from the kitchen, though, is it really stealing if you own the entire Kingdom?).

Sometimes Hyunjin would think about it when Heejin would smile at her, unabashed and open— more open than Hyunjin had even been her entire life, and the thought that she would, maybe, want to give that to Heejin too made her lungs spasm painfully.

But when Heejin greets her, donning black garbs, a soft grin on her face, Hyunjin’s not sure the swoop in her chest is fear anymore.

It’s not fancy. Well, not for Princess Heejin, but it’s enough for both of them. Turns out Heejin is pretty good at cooking. They have a quaint dinner at Hyunjin’s place, and Hyunjin realizes, watching Heejin eat her body weight in food, that she’d do anything for her.

And when Heejin has to go— pushing her “curfew” way past what Hyunjin was comfortable with, Hyunjin gets confirmation that Heejin feels the same way.

She feels it in the way that Heejin’s eyes betray her in the way that they regard her so softly (she always was an open book). Hyunjin’s pretty sure she looks at her the same way, with warmth piling into her chest. She feels it in the way that Heejin holds her— it’s not really a goodbye, more of a promise than anything that she’ll be back and that Hyunjin will be here. She feels it in the way that Heejin kisses her again; it’s tender and reassuring.

They don’t meet late at night in pubs or side streets anymore. Nowadays, Hyunjin prefers to have Heejin safe and in her small, cramped home. Heejin fits right in, snuggled against her on the couch, reading a book that was too boring for Hyunjin’s taste, or under the sheets of Hyunjin’s bed, warming her body at night.

And maybe sometimes Heejin convinces her to let her tag along on quests.

(Because we all know the first one went so well).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I finally finished it. Again, sorry for the wait! And I’m sorry if this chapter seems rushed or anything. I’ve just...been having a hard time writing, and I really just wanted to wrap everything up with this story.
> 
> But I hope you enjoyed it! I’d appreciate it if you left comments, I always love reading what you guys have to say! Thanks to those who stuck around this long, lol. I appreciate every one of my readers!


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